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JAMES CLARK STRONG 
This picture taken on eighty-fourth birthday 
1910 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



OF 



JAMES CLARK STRONG 

Colonel and Brigadier General, by Brevet. 



Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, 
California. 

1910 






Copyright 1910 

BY 

James Clark Strong 



©C1.A*^8(;082 



DEDICATION 



This Biographical Sketch is affectionately 
dedicated to my loving wife 



EMILY K. STRONG 

Who is still with me, and has been my faithful 

companion for over fifty years, 



and to our children 

JEAN D. STRONG 

EDWARD CLARK STRONG 

STUART EFNER STRONG 



PREFACE 

This Biographical Sketch is written at the request of my 
family, and is written in a free, off-hand manner without any 
attempt at style or literary merit. 

I may be mistaken as to the date of some of the incidents 
narrated and also in their chronological order in some cases, 
but that — it seems to me — can, and will be overlooked. 

If anyone desires to know more of the history of my an- 
cestors I refer them to Rev. B. H. Dwight's History of the 
Strong family, printed by Joel Munsell, Albany, N. Y., 1871. 
Our branch comes through; ist, Elder John Strong; 2(1, 
Jedediah ; 3r(l, fVeserved ; 4th, Noah; 5th, Adonijah, who was 
mv grandfather. He was a Colonel in the Revolutionary War, 
and was made Commissary (icneral of the Army in the New 
England States, by General Washington. 

My mother's family is given in the ''Genealogy of the Stod- 
dard family, originall}' compiled by Charles Stoddard and 
hUijah W. Stoddard and published in 1849. Revised and en- 
larged by Elijah W. Stoddard, and re-published in 1865. 
Press of J. M. l>ra(lstreet & Son, 8 Spruce Street, New York."" 



SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS. 

Page 
CHAPTER I. ------ 1 

FATHER. My brothers. 

CHAPTER H. ------ n 

MOTHER. Her genealogy. My farming days. Peddling 
books when fifteen. 

CHAPTER HI. - - - - - - 20 

Dr. Marcus Whitman. First one to interest me in the Indians. 
Advised me to study medicine. Taught school. 

CHAPTER IV. ------ 27 

Williston, Easthampton, Mass. Incidents while there. Health 
tailed. Began studying medicine. 

CHAPTER V. - - ' - - - - 41 

Journey to Oregon with Brother William. Rio Janeiro. Saint 
Catharmes. Cape Horn. Valparaiso. San Francisco. Astoria. 

CHAPTER VI. ------ 54 

Earlv days in Oregon. Cathlamet. Fort Vancouver. Major 
Ingais. Captain \J. S. Grant. Oregon divided. Inhabitants 
disap'pointed because new territory was named "Washington." 
Member of its First Legislature. Appointed Asst. U. S. 
Attorney. Elected Prosecuting Attorney. Visited the States, 
expecting to return. Remained there on account of my aged 
mother. Married. 

CHAPTER VII. ------ 62 

Civil War. Captain in 21st Regt. N. Y. Vols. Incidents while 
guarding the Long Bridge at Washington, D. C. Gov. Mor- 
gan's visit to Col. Rogers at Fort Runyon. Promoted to Lieut. 
Col. 38th N. Y. Vols. 

CHAPTER VIII. ------ 72 

Located the sharp-shooter. My balloon target for enemy's 
tield-piece. Over the works at Yorktown. Buried shells. Gen. 
McClellan astonished. Ordered to double quick. Gen. 
Hooker's men on the retreat. Ordered to drive the enemy's 
skirmishers from the woods on the right. Gen. Kearney's 
order. Advanced on al)atis in front of their redoubt. Drove 
enemy from ritie-pit with bayonet. I fell ; shot through the 
hip. Kindness of my men. Surgeon Berry of the 38th. Gave 
orders to Captain of steamboat. Gen. Rufus Ingalls. 



CHAPTER IX. ------ 83 

Arrival of brother John at Fortress Monroe. Steamboat. Cars. 
Reached home. Letter from Col. Ward. General Birney's 
report. Commissioned Colonel 38th X. Y. Vols. Mustered out 
with regiment. 

CHAPTER X. ------ 91 

Commissioned Colonel I5th Regt. Vet. Res. Corps. Commis- 
sion signed by President Lincoln. Ordered to take command 
of the post at Chicago, including Camp Douglass. Number 
of prisoners became too great for one regiment to guard. The 
8th V. R. C, Col. and Bvt. Brig. Gen. Sweet, and a battery 
sent to assist. Ordered to report to General Meade in Phila- 
delphia. Mistaken for General U. S. Grant. Lectured in Eng- 
land on North American Indians. Pleasant incident on return 
voyage. Moved to California. 

CHAPTER XL ----- - 100 

Visited the Lewis and Clark Exposition at Portland, Oregon, 
in 1905. Trip to Alaska. Surprised at the climate, flowers, 
and beautiful scenery. 1906, visited Buffalo, N. Y. Found it 
much changed. Conclusion. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

JAMES CLARK STRONG - - - (frontispiece) 
REV. HENRY PIERCE STRONG 

LAURA STODDARD CLARK STRONG • - 9 

HON. WILLIAM STRONG _ . - - 39 

JOHN C. STRONG, ESQ. - . - - 81 




REV. HEXRY PIERCE STRONG 
1785 - 1835 



Chapter I 
FATHER. 

My father, Re:v. Henry Pierce: Strong, was born in 
Salisbury, Connecticut, Feb. 2^^, 1785, graduated at Yale Col- 
lege, class of 1807, and at the /Vndover Theological Seminary 
in 1810; married Nov. 6, 1810, Laura Stoddard Clark, 
daughter of James Clark, and Hannah Stoddard, born in Dan- 
bury, Connecticut, Nov. 3, 1786. 

In x\ndover, father and Professor Moses Stuart, (grand- 
father of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward), became very warm 
friends, and married sisters. Prof- Stuart was five years older 
than father, and mother's sister, Abigal, (whom he married), 
was five years older than mother. 

Father settled and preached in New York City, and at 
several places in the New England States until he lost his 
voice from a bronchial difficulty which compelled him to retire 
from the ministry. He then moved to Vienna (now Phelps), 
Ontario County, N. Y., where he bought a farm and began 
farming, and here it was that I was born, ]\Iay 6, 1826. 

After a few years, father regained his voice sufficiently 
to preach again, and took charge of the church there, as well 
as the one at Oaks Corners, four miles distant. 

His farm consisted of eighty acres, and for some distance 
along where the house stood, joined the boundary line of the 



2 CHAPTER I 

village, so we did not have to go more than about two blocks 
to reach the church, in the basement of which was held the 
Sunday School, which we all had to attend, from the time 
we were old enough to walk, and recite the seven verses we 
had learned during the week, for it was the rule in father's 
house for each child to learn one verse of the Bible every 
day. I remember his giving me a dollar, — which was a 
large sum of money for a little boy to have, — for reading 
the Bible through. 

Between our house and the village line father had a fine 
garden and on the sides of one of the walks had planted some 
tomatoes, although they were then thought to be poisonous to 
eat. He would let us boys play with them by rolling them in 
the walk, but told us, that should one break, not to touch it 
with our hands, but scrape it up with the shingle he gave us 
for that purpose and throw it over the fence. 

I remember the first time I saw tomatoes on the table as 
an edible vegetable, which was quite a while after father's 
death. 

In those days the use of intoxicating liquors was not 
considered wrong by the great majority of people, even min- 
isters of the Gospel used them, but father did not entertain 
that idea and never used them. He would make a bargain 
with the men he hired to mow the hay, — it was then all done 
]:>y hand — that he would pay them a certain sum more than 
the going wages per day, if they would not use any intoxicat- 
ing liquor while working for him. T have heard my older 
brothers sav that fath.er made money by that arrangement as 



CHAPTBR I 3 

the men would do more work, and could be relied upon to be 
on hand more regularly than the men on other farms who 
were paid less cash, and supplied with the customary amount 
of liquor. 

At Rushville, on the County line between Ontario and 
Yates Counties, and twenty miles distant from Vienna, lived 
my father's warm friend, Rev. Joseph Brackett, who had mar- 
ried a relative of my mother's. Mr. Brackett was taken sick 
and asked father to supply his pulpit during his illness, which 
he did. 

Mr. Brackett died in September, 1832, and father was 
asked to assume charge of the church. This he did, but did 
not move his family to Rushville, until May 6, 1833, the day 
I was seven years old. 

A short time before he moved to Rushville was the only 
time he ever punished me. I had been sent to school and had 
done something the lady teacher thought deserved punishment, 
and I have no doubt she was right, although I do not remember 
what it was ; she placed me between two negro girls about my 
own age and put one of their bonnets on my head. While 
in this, to me, disgraceful predicament, two ladies came in 
to visit the school, and while the teacher was attending to 
them, I jerked off the bonnet and ran down the stairs. 

The punisment father gave me was to take ofif my clothes, 
wrap me in a blanket, and hold me under the cistern pump, 
while my oldest brother pumped the water on to me ; then he 
carried me into the house and put me to bed. He did not 
send me back to that school, however, either because we were 



4 CHAPTER I 

about to move to Rushville, or because he did not blame me 
much for running away. 

Father died in Rushville on August 28, 1835. "^^^ death 
of my father, when I was but nine years of age, was the great- 
est loss I ever suffered. He was a kind father, was highly 
educated, and very studious. At the time of his death, I had 
been studying Latin nearly two years, and although he was 
a very strict, puritanical man, I never felt afraid to ask him 
questions about my studies. 

When father died, he left mother money enough which 
put at interest brought her $310.00 a year, also ten acres of 
land with a very comfortable house upon it, in Rushville, and 
it was here she lived for many years. 

As this is but a sketch of my life, I will only mention 
those of my brothers who particularly come into it, except to 
show how many I had, and how mother was situated at the 
time this sketch begins. 

Henry Strong, M. D., my oldest brother, was married 
and living in Mississippi, when father died. He had attended 
Hamilton College, N. Y., but left prior to graduation. He 
obtained his medical education at the medical college in Louis- 
ville, Ky. His first wife dying, he married again, and prior 
to the Civil War, moved his family to Rockford, 111. He was 
a noted physician and surgeon, and his fame as such spread 
far and wide. 

When the Civil War broke out, he was commissioned a 
Major, in the Medical Corps, and ordered to report to Gen- 
eral Sherman, which he did, and served on his staff to the end 



CHAPTER I 5 

of the war. General Sherman and he became very warm 
friends, sometimes joking upon their relationship. The Doc- 
tor was nine years older than the General, a strong Union 
man, and on his mother's side was fourth, and the General 
fifth, removed from a common parent ; a relationship far too 
distant to be claimed, or even spoken of, unless it connected one 
with a great and noble man like General William T. Sherman. 

George Perrine Strong, next younger than brother 
Henry, attended Hamilton College, but left prior to graduat- 
ing, went to Mississipppi, taught school, married, and studied 
law. Prior to the breaking out of the Civil War, moved his 
family to St. Louis, Mo., where he continued the practice of 
law, during the remainder of his life. He never lived at the 
Rushville home. 

William Strong was next younger than brother George. 
He never lived at the Rushville home, graduated at Yale Col- 
lege, class of 1838, studied law, married and settled in Cleve- 
land, Ohio. He enters into my life more than either of the two 
older ones, and I shall have more to say about him later on. 

John Calvin Strong was next younger than brother 
William. He was eight years older than myself, fitted for 
college at Canandaigua, N. Y., taught school, entered Yale 
College in 1838, graduated class of 1842, studied law, married 
in 1847, ^i^d began the practice of law in Geneva, N. Y. 

Thinking he could do better in a larger place, moved to 
Buffalo, N. Y., and continued the practice of his profession 
there during the remainder of his life, so he was not much at 



6 CHAPTER I 

the Rushville home ; in fact, never Hved there after father's 
death. 

As he enters largely into my life I shall have more to 
say abont him later on. 

Thomas Strong was next younger than brother John, 
and four years older than myself. He remained at home and 
did his full share of the work, and mother kept him at school 
just as she did me, and we had lots of fun together. He never 
studied the languages, and why father did not make him 
study Latin, as he did all the older boys and myself, I do not 
know, unless it was because he saw that the trend of his mind 
was all for music. 

In the summer of 1837, he unfortunately had a heavy bar 
fall on the instep of one of his feet, which laid him up for 
quite a long time. After he became perfectly well, apparently, 
he went in swimming, caught cold, and rheumatism set in, 
from which he was a great sufferer all the rest of his life. 
Sometimes he would be better for a while, and then again be 
under the doctor's care, suffering great pain. 

Thus matters went on until brother Henry wrote mother 
to send him to IMississippi, hoping the climate might benefit 
him. This she did, but it did not do him as much good as 
they had hoped it would. 

He was passionately fond of music, was a sweet and 
powerful singer, and mother bought a piano for him, which 
he learned to play, and made some money giving public con- 
certs. 

After mother died, Thomas lived with brother Henry at 



CHAPTER I 7 

Rockford, until death called him to that ''Haven of Rest" 
where all sufferings cease. 

He died very suddenly. One morning- at the breakfast 
table, after brother Henry's second wife had died, and Henry 
was away, one of his little boys was crying because the cook 
had failed to have a piece of pie ready for his lunch at school, 
and brother Thomas had quieted him, and made him very 
happy by saying, ''Never mind, Newtie. Uncle Tom will get 
you a nice, big red apple." Soon after when he started to 
rise to get the apple he was taken with a spasm, seized the 
arms of his chair, and was dead in less than ten minutes. He 
was never married. 

Charlks Strong — three years younger than myself. He 
was but six years old when father died, and lived at the Rush- 
ville home until he left for Oregon in rather a peculiar way. 

One time brother John, while living in Geneva, which was 
only sixteen miles from Rushville, was home visiting mother, 
when at the dinner table, Charlie said, "If I had ten dollars 
I would go to Oregon." "Don't let that stop you, Charlie," 
said brother John, at the same time handing him ten dollars. 
"All right, I'll go," said Charlie. 

When mother saw that he really meant it, she strenuously 
objected but after Charlie had left the room, John told her 
that he would get no farther than New York before he would 
be out of money and write for some to come home with, and 
he would send it to him, that the experience would do Charlie 
good, etc., etc. So mother let him go. 

When Charlie reached New York, he strolled around the 



8 CHAPTER I 

docks until he found a vessel loading for San Francisco, and 
went to work checking on freight. He was always a very 
jolly fellow, and by the time the vessel was ready to sail, he 
had worked himself into the good graces of the captain to 
such an extent that he was shipped as Captain's Clerk. 

On rounding Cape Horn, the vessel was so nearly wrecked 
by a storm that they had great difficulty in keeping her afloat, 
and when they reached Valparaiso, Chili, the captain turned 
her over to the Underwriters. 

After a while, through the friendship and influence of the 
captain, he procured a position on another vessel to San Fran- 
cisco and from there had little or no difficulty in reaching 
Oregon. 

He remained there two or three years, then returned to 
the State of New York and married. 

During the Civil War, he was commissioned ist Lieuten- 
ant of Company K, 6th Reg't U. S. Vols., and served one and 
a half years guarding the Engineers surveying the first route 
for a railroad across the plains to California, and was then 
mustered out. 




LAURA STODDARD CLARK STROXO 
1786 - 1861 



Chapter II. 
MOTHER. 

My mother descended from Anthony Stoddard, of whom 
the historian says: 

"The name Stoddard is derived from the office of Stand- 
ard-Bearer. and was anciently written, De-La-Standard. In 
the office of Heraldry, England, the following origin of the 
Stoddard Family is found : 

"AVILLTAM STODDARD, a knight, came from Nor- 
mandy to England, A. D. 1066, with William the Conqueror, 
who was his cousin. Of his descendants we find record of" — 
(here the historian mentions quite a number, among whom is) 
"ANTHONY STODDARD, of London, who emigrated to 
Boston, about 1639." He was my mother's progenitor. 

Mother was a kind, loving mother, and kept me at home 
and at school in the village, earning what I could, for all 
schooling had to be paid for as there were no free schools 
then, — and she was not left rich — until the spring of 1838, 
when she put me out to work on a farm at $3.00 a month, 
which was good wages in those days for a boy only twelve 
years old. 

This farm was about six miles from home, if I went cross 
lots, and the farmer allowed me to walk home once in a while, 
on Saturday afternoon, but I must be back by milking time 



12 CHAPTER 11. 

Monday morning. He had six cows, of which he milked four, 
and I two. 

There were no matches on the farms in the western part 
of the country in those days, and as our bed of coals had gone 
out one morning, I had to go to the nearest neighbor's, at least 
a half mile away, to get some coals with which to kindle the 
fire. It was considered a great invention when sulphur matches 
came into use ; these were made of fine splinters of dry pine, 
about four inches long, one end of which was dipped about 
half an inch in melted sulphur, and when that dried, they 
could be laid away until needed, then all one had to do to gel. 
a fire was to light some punk with a fiint and steel, touch the 
sulphur match to it, which would blaze, then light a candle 
and take your time at building a fire. They had been used 
at the East, and in villages, but not on farms in the West. 

Candles were all dipped at that time, and it was quite a 
knack to be a good candle maker, for one had to use his own 
judgment as to how many times to dip, to make the candle the 
right size for the wick, to prevent its smoking. Brothers 
Thomas, Charley and myself made all the candles mother used, 
and we thought it a great invention when candle molds came 
into use. We could then make a dozen at a time, and always 
the same size, so we had no trouble with smoky candles after 
getting the right sized wick for our molds. 

Just before my six months was ended. Mother lost her 
cow, and was greatly worried as to how she could get an- 
other. One day the farmer said, "Jimmy! I hear your mother 
has lost her cow. and if she wants vou to take old brindle for 



CHAPTER IL 13 

your pay you may take her, although she is worth $20 and 
your wages will amount to but $18, but you have been a good 
bov and I will give her to your mother for your wages." So 
I drove the brindle cow home, and I guess it would have re- 
quired a modern search-light of the highest power to have 
found a prouder twelve year old boy in the whole State of 
New York. 

During the next v/inter Mother heard that a daughter of 
a friend of hers had married, and was living with her husband 
on a farm about twelve miles from Rushville, and that they 
wanted a boy about my age to work for them, and thinking 
that would be a good place, sent me there in the spring to 
work at $3 per month. I had not been there long before I 
wished I was somewhere else, anywhere I thought would be 
better than where that woman was. The man was kind and 
good, but the woman was a virago. She made me wash all 
the flannels and stockings, mop the floors, and do all the mean 
work about the house. She was very sweet and lovely to her 
husband when anyone was around, but a fearful tyrant when 
there wasn't. She had him so cowered that he did not dare 
oppose her in the slightest particular. 

I tried to write mother but was never allowed to send the 
letter. Thus matters went until the 3rd of July, when mother 
sent one of my brothers to bring me home to spend the 4th. 
I then told her what kind of work I had had to do and that 
I didn't like it. 

I found, however, that the woman had kept mother posted 
as to my health, saying I was well and happy, and was a good 



14 CHAPTER II. 

boy. Then with my brother she sent a letter to mother say- 
ing she hoped nothing would prevent her sending me baci< 
to work out my six months. 

Mother listened to my complaints and then said that it 
was a boy's duty to obey his employer, and to do the work 
his employer wanted done, and that I must go back and finish 
the six months. 

I knew there was no appeal from her decision, and on the 
next Monday morning I went back. 

Matters went on again about as before for some time, 
until a little incident happened which mortified her exceeding- 
ly, for she wanted the neighbors to think her the ''pink of 
perfection." 

The cows were in the habit of coming up at night to the 
barn-yard ; to do this they had to come through a long lane 
from the pasture. One night one of them, a new one they had 
just purchased, did not come up, and the woman told me to 
go and find her. I went and looked thoroughly through the 
pasture, but, not finding the cow, came back. She saw me 
coming up the lane without the cow, met me at the barn-yard, 
and said, ''You go right back and find that cow, and» don't 
you come home 'till you do find her." T had been working all 
day and was tired and hungry, and said, "T want my supper 
first." She then said, "You shan't have any supper 'till you 
find that cow, and mind you, don't you come home without 
her." 

T went back, looked all around but could not find the cow. 
At the farther end of the ])asture was a swamp and finding a 



CHAPTER II. 15 

piece of the fence broken down I thought possibly the cow 
might have gone into that, so I went in there quite a distance 
where I found a Httle island high and dry, on which was a 
large hollow log that had probably been cut down some years 
before as a bee tree. It was nearly dark, so I took the long 
stick I had been carrying to help me jump from bog to bog, 
and cleaned out the hollow, which was plenty large enough 
for me to crawl into, then gathered a lot of brush and placed 
it before the entrance and crawled in feet first, drawing the 
brush after me, thus stopping up the entrance, so that no 
squirrel, toad or even snake could get in. I felt so very tired 
that it was not long before I was sound asleep. When I saw 
daylight through the brush, I knew it must be morning, 
crawled out, began looking again for the cow, and, fortunately 
finding her in a ravine in some woods, drove her home. On 
nearing the barnyard I was surprised to see three or four men 
near the house and when they saw me, all came to meet me, 
the woman rushing up and throwing her arms around my 
neck, kissing and hugging me almost to death, covering me 
with endearing and loving epithets. One of the neighbors 
asked me why I didn't come back last night. "Because she 
told me not to come back until I found the cow, and said she 
wouldn't give me any supper if I did." I was asked where I 
stayed all night, etc., and I told them. These were neighbors 
who had gathered to go out and hunt further through the 
swamp for me, and it mortified her very much to have them 
hear my story. 

I learned afterwards that the woman's husband and one 



i6 CHAPTER 11. 

of the neighbors had been out all night hunting for me, firing 
guns, blowing horns and calling me, fearing I had gotten 
mired in the swamp, and that she had not gone to l^ed that 
night at all. She treated me much better after this, so I came 
to the conclusion that my night in the hollow log in the swamp 
was really a blessing in disguise as far as I was concerned. 
Mother sent for me when my time was out, and I had the satis- 
faction of handing her the eighteen dollars. 

During the next winter some one told mother that I could 
make more money peddling books and getting subscriptions 
for papers than I could farming, and that they could get 
authority for me to solicit subscriptions for some New York 
papers on commission. 

It was now nearly spring and hardly time to make all the 
arrangements, and as this year, 1840, was a presidential elec- 
tion year, it might not be a good one to start in that business, 
and as I, after my last experience, objected so strenuously to 
being put out on a farm again mother concluded to have me 
sta}- at home, and she would get things ready for next year. 

That summer I spent earning what I could at odd jobs, 
and by driving horses on thrashing machines for farmers 
nearby, at twenty-five cents a day, and when not at work, 
mother kept me reviewing my lessons, for she was one of 
those who did not beUeve in letting a boy be idle, and after 
General Harrison was nominated for president I spent some of 
my time riding in processions with other boys, singing, "Tip 
pccanoe and Tyler, too," which was great fun. 

When the fall term commenced 1 started in school again. 



CHAPTER II. 17 

but getting provoked at the teacher, came home one day an 1 
told mother, ''I don't want to go to school any more." I had 
a little touch of the disease called "big head", and thought I 
had enough schooling. Mother, after trying to reason me into 
changing my mind, and failing, said, "Well, you must learn 
some kind of business, then ; no boy of mine shall grow up a 
know-nothing if I can help it." 

I still remaining obdurate, she made an arrangement that 
very afternoon with a blacksmith whose shop was not far from 
our house to take me. I learned afterwards that it was under- 
stood between them that he should make me work very hard, 
and not let me come home, or play with any of the boys during 
work hours. He carried out mother's wishes to the letter, and 
I was so tired every night when I went home that I wanted to 
go to bed instead of going out with any of the boys. 

In about a week my pride gave way, and I told mother 
that I would rather go to school. "Oh, no!" she said, "I can't 
have a boy whiffling around like that and changing his mind 
every few days. You had a chance to go to school, and I told 
you how it would be, but you made your choice, contrary to 
my advice, and you must stick to it." I felt pretty sad when 
I went back to work the next day, and every night I would beg 
of mother to let me quit and not learn the business, promising 
her that I would always study after that, if she would only 
let me go to school again. 

\Mien it came the second Saturday night, the blacksmith 
told me that my mother had asked him to let me stop working 



1 8 CHAPTER 11. 

for him, and go back to school, and he hoped I would be a 
good boy, and study hard. 

Monday morning saw me back at school. I had to stand 
a good many jeers from some of the boys, who had been over 
and seen me in the shop and who taunted me by saying 1 hadn't 
pluck enough to stand hard work, but that was better than not 
coming back to school. 

During that winter my mother's friends had procured 
authority for me to obtain subscriptions for some New York 
papers, and when it came pretty good going in the spring, 
mother let me take her horse and became security for what 
books I might need at a book store in Canandaigua. I made 
a water proof box that just fitted into the buggy, and on one 
Monday morning started out, a fifteen-year-old book peddler, 
most always returning home on Saturday afternoon. 

I kept at this business two summers, having a good deal 
of time to read, — of which I became very fond — much more 
than I could have had had I been working on a farm. Besides, 
it was an experience well worth having, one that could not be 
had in these days. I always stopped over night at some farm 
house, and being a little fellow, the family did not seem to 
mind my being present, and I saw a great deal of home life, 
without any veneer on it. 

Before I became well acquainted with my different routes 
I would sometimes reach a house where I expected to stay 
over night, and find they had no room for me, and if it was 
too late to go on, T would slecj) on the hay in the 1:)arn ; after 
I learned my routes I liad no trouble. Each fall when the 



CHAPTER II. 19 

roads became bad, I went home, settled up all my accounts 
for books and papers, and again began going to school. At the 
end of the second summer, I had much more money than ever 
before, besides having acquired a good deal of experience and 
self-confidence, which was of great value to me in after life. 



Chapter HI. 
DOCTOR MARCUvS WHITMAN. 

I mention Dr. Marcus Whitman — the missionary who 
estabhshed the Whitman mission in Oregon — in this sketch, 
as he it was who first created the desire in me to go to Oregon, 
which tended greatly to mold my future life. 

His mother was a member of my father's church in Rush- 
ville, and other members of his family also lived there, with 
whom I was well acquainted; in short, he himself was born 
there. 

In the spring of 1843, '^^^ ^"^is return to Oregon, from 
Washington and Boston, after making that memorable ride 
across the continent during the winter of 1842 and 1843, ^^^ 
came to Rushville to see his mother, and while there gave a 
talk in the old church, telling of the missionary work among 
the Indians. He described the Indians, the country and the 
climate so vividly that when he said he wanted to get as many 
as he could to go back with him to settle in the country, I 
asked him to take me, but he said he wanted only married 
men, and as I lacked a month or more of being seventeen years 
old, and, of course, unmarried, J did not fill the requirements, 
but I became so deeply interested that I resolved to go there 
as soon as I could. It took me seven years to carry out that 
resolution, as will be seen later on. 

Several of us boys were very much interested in what he 



CHAPTBR III 21 

told us about the two Indian boys, John I-ce, and Richard 
Tac-a-tu-i-tis, the ones he brought back with him from Ore- 
gon and left at Rushville during the winter of 1835 and 1836, 
while he went East and married. They attended the same 
school we did and we became much interested in them. 

I called upon Dr. Whitman the next da}' and asked him 
many questions about the Indians, and he, seeing how earnest 
I was, said, "The Indians need good doctors and if after you 
have nnished your education and studied medicme, you want 
to come, we should be glad to have you." This gave me an 
idea as to how I might get to Oregon. 

I had expected to resume peddling books again that sum- 
mer, but, before it was time to get ready, something occurred 
which changed my plans materially. 

A little east of Rushville was a district school that em- 
ployed a man teacher winters, and a woman teacher summers. 
Last winter the boys had thrown the teacher out of the school 
house and broken up the school. 

Two or tliree of that school board were warm friends of 
my mother, and members of the same church. One day I 
heard them say they had not found any one who n^ould take 
the school for the summer on account of the rough boys. I 
asked them what they would pay me. They smiled at first, 
but when they saw I was really in earnest, said that if I would 
agree to charge nothing in case I failed to keep the school, 
they would pay me so much, mentioning the amount. They 
had all known me from childhood. In those days it was the 
custom to have the teachers board around through the dis- 



22 CHAPTER III 

trict, which I did not wish to do, and boarding at home would 
be of great advantage to me, as it would give me much time 
to study. After awhile we agreed upon a price, I to board at 
home, which 1 thought would be better for me than peddling 
books, taking into account the advantage of being at home. 
Alother thought so, too. 

I had but few scholars the first week and no trouble. 
One morning the second week, three large boys came, being 
the same who had thrown the teacher out of the school house 
the winter before. I could have handled either of them alone, 
but the three combined could easily have handled me. They did 
not bring any books. In a short time I saw by their actions 
there was trouble brewing, but being "forewarned is fore- 
armed," and I was ready for them. I had placed a bundle of 
good whips in my desk, and a revolver, loaded with a light 
charge of powder, and a quantity of salt, instead of bullets, in 
my coat pocket. It was not long before they were whispering 
and laughing. I told them to be still. They laughed at me, 
and one of them picked up an inkstand to throw at me, but 
I was too quick for him, and drawing my revolver, cocking it, 
and pointing it straight at him told him I would shoot if he 
attempted to throw that inkstand. He could see the bright 
caps on the revolver, which showed that it was loaded. The 
sight of a revolver was something far out of the ordinary and 
probably had never been seen in a schoolhouse, and had a very 
quieting effect upon all three. I then told them that I had 
heard of their tii rowing the teacher out of the schoolhouse last 
winter, and that he ought to have shot every one of them ; 



CHAPTER in 23 

that the law would have justified him if he had, and that I was 
prepared, and would shoot every one who attempted to at- 
tack me, that I was going- to teach this school, and rather 
than be thrown out of the schoolhouse or have the school broken 
up, I would shoot every one of them. I then ordered the one 
who had seized the inkstand to come out onto the floor. He 
looked surprised and hesitated, but, after receiving assurances 
from me, in very sharp language, that he would be shot if he 
didn't, and seeing the revolver cocked and pointed straight at 
him, he came. I made him take of¥ his coat, and get upon his 
knees, and with revolver in one hand, and whip in the other I 
gave him a good thrashing, keeping my eye well on the other 
two, also. After I was through and he had arisen and put on 
his coat. I told him he might go home now, if he wished, of 
which permission he immediately took advantage. When re- 
cess came the other two went home and I saw no more of any 
of them. Before the summer was over I had fifty scholars, 
which was more than had ever attended the school before 
either winter or summer. 

I am sure had I not had the revolver and had I not pre- 
sented such a determined front, I would have been thrown 
out of that schoolhouse. I did not tell anyone except the 
schoolboard that it was loaded with salt instead of bullets. 
They did not blame me, and very few, not connected with the 
school ever heard of the revolver incident. I had a very pleas- 
ant summer, and in the fall began going to school again. 

Early the next spring, my brother William, — who, after 
graduating at Yale College, married and settled in Cleveland, 



24 CHAPTER III 

Ohio — sent for me. I had spoken to him of my desire to 
study medicine and to go to Oregon where Dr. \Miitman 
was. He said he could now get me a place in a drug store 
of a friend of his, so I went to Cleveland. 

He was acquainted with an old doctor living there by the 
name of Gregory, who said to me — a short time before I was 
to enter the drug store, "]^[r. Strong. I think you are just the 
person mv son wants, and it will be a good job for you all 
summer, and will pay you twenty dollars a month and all ex- 
penses." 

I learned that his son. Dr. Charles Gregory, living at Sand 
Lake, a little east of Troy. X. Y.. had been putting Gregory's 
Pills upon the market for manv years and gotten rich enough 
to take them up through the country and confine his business 
entirely to wholesale houses : that he had had a man traveling 
with this object in view for two years, but when he started out 
this spring an accident happened which injured him so severely 
that he could not proceed farther on the trip. 

I accepted the offer, went to Sand Lake, and was instruct- 
ed in what I was to do. ]\[y equipment was most complete, 
consisting of a very fine horse, harness and buggy, so thorough- 
ly curtained tliat I could ride all dav in the rain, if necessary, 
without getting wet. T carried riothing but notes, with a 
memorandum book giving me the name of every place I was 
to visit, the number of miles each was from the other, and the 
name of the person or persons T was to see there. My instruc- 
tions were just as brief and to the point: "Never carry much 
monev. send it to me bv drafts on Xew York as often as vou 



CHAPTER III 25 

can. Write to nic once or twice a week. Always stop at first 
class hotels, as a matter of safety, and alwavs have }onr buggy 
and harness \<Q\)i clean and bright : that a fresh package of 
notes, and a memorandum book would be sent me to different 
cities." 

I started ; drove a zigzag route through the State of New 
York, northern Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Just after reaching 
Indiana. I found a man whose note I had for ninetv dollars, 
had sold his drug store, and with his household goods almost 
packed, was about ready to move his faultily to west of the 
Mississippi river. He refused to i)ay the note, but by threaten- 
ing to put it into the hands of a lawyer, I prevailed upon him 
to give me a horse for it. T then changed the single harness 
and shafts for a double one and pole, and drove the remainder 
of my route, on through Indiana into Illinois, then back by an 
entirel}- different route to Sand Lake, having driven between 
three and four thousand miles, and mv collections amounted 
to a large sum of money. I was between five and six months 
on the road. The doctor was pleased with the new horse and 
complimented me for having been so successful in mv collec- 
tions, and especially in collecting that 1)ad debt, and said that 
it was evident that after I began to drive two horses to the 
light buggy, I had made better time. After settling all the 
business matters with him he asked, "Well now, how much do 
I owe you ?'' 

I had spent some twenty dollars of my salary, and on 
figuring the amount. I deducted what I had ex])en(led, anil 
then passed the paper to the doctor, who soon handed me the 



26 CHAPTER in 

whole amount without any deduction, saying, *'You have done 
so well for me that 1 will make you a present of that amount." 
He then gave me enough more to pay my expenses back to 
Rushville. 

1 now had money enough to resume my studies prepara- 
tory to entering college, so did not return to Cleveland, but 
spent the winter studying. 



Chapter IV. 

Early the next spring I went with my friend Henry M. 
Brackett, son of Rev. Joseph P)rackett, to attend Wilhston 
Seminary, Easthampton, Mass. I had gone through all the 
hooks required to enter college, but as I had been so inter- 
rupted, and had studied some of them without a teacher, I was 
told it would be better for me to finish at some school of ac- 
credited standing, so I went there with my friend. My father, 
and two of my brothers had graduated at Yale, and it was my 
ambition to graduate at the same college. 

The only railroad anywhere near there at that time was 
the Boston and Albany. We ought to have stopped at West- 
field, but instead, went on to Springfield, and put up at "Uncle 
Jerry's hotel," so called. This gave rise to a little episode 
connected with my life at VVilliston Seminary or I should not 
mention it. We asked to have our trunks taken up to our 
room, but as they were verv heavy, having all our books as 
well as clothing in them, and, as we were to stay but one night, 
the porter objected, and I spoke to "Uncle Jerry" about it. 
They were piled with quite a large number of others in the 
hall, and when he came and looked at them, said, "Oh! never 
mind, boys, they will be perfectly safe here," and with some 
misgivings we retired. In the morning my trunk was missing. 
It had been claimed through mistake by a passenger and taken 
off on the Vermont stage. "Uncle Jerry" patted me on the 
back and said "It will be back soon, I've sent after it; eat, 



28 CHAPTER IV 

drink and be merry, my boy, 'till your trunk comes, it won't 
cost you anything." 

It was then arranged that Brackett should go to East- 
hampton, find a room for us, and that I would come as soon 
as mv trunk returned. This he did, and I had a gay time for 
a boy, stopping at one of the best hotels in Springfield, at no 
expense, and spending my time wandering over the city, looking 
at all the sights, but day after day passed until it began to be 
wearisome, so I told ''Uncle Jerry" that I wanted to go to 
Easthampton and see how things were. He at once sent me 
there (some i6 or i8 miles), in a buggy, saying, "I will pay 
your board until your books come." 

I found Brackett had a room for us at Mr. Snow's board- 
ing house, which stood on the road that led toward the Con- 
.necticut river, and was just beyond the church. 

The first evening after my arrival, a young man by the 
name of Sprague, whose room was directly opposite ours, 
came in to see us, and told us that we must look out for a tall, 
thin fellow bv the name of Spencer, who roomed in the same 
hall and who would report anything and everything we didi 
that he thought wTong, and that Luther Wright, the principal, 
always called by the bo\'s "lioss" WVight, liked him and would 
haul us up and rei)rimand us just on his report. I did not 
like that, and told Sprague if Spencer ever tried that on me 
he would get a dose which he would remember. 

We soon got to carrying on and making a good deal of 
noise. Before long there was a loud rap on the door. Sprague 
whispered, ''Spencer." I called out with great vehemence, 



CHAPTER IV 29 

"busy," but the door opened, and in walked a tall, rather thin, 
gentlemanly looking man, who I thought was Mr. Spencer, 
of course. 

"Go to your room, Mr. Sprague," were his first words, 
spoken very quietly. ''Don't you do it, Sprague, what do you 
mind him for," came from my impertinent lips, but Sprague 
went, without standing upon the order of his going. Then 
turning to Brackett and me he said, "Do you room here?" I 
had thrown myself upon the bed, and looking up impertinent- 
ly at him, said, "I don't know as that is any of your business," 
and after asking a few more questions and receiving imperti- 
nent answers to them all, he smilingly bade us "good evening", 
saying, "I hope we will become better acquainted." 

Soon as he had left the hall, in came Sprague, saying, 
"You blessed fools, that wasn't Spencer, that was Russell 
Wright, teacher of Latin and Greek," and looking at me, said, 
"Perhaps you will be in his classes." 

Language fails to describe my feelings, and I can assure 
you my first night in Easthampton was a sleepless one. The 
next day I took a long walk toward the Connecticut river, and 
on turning around to come back saw I was going to meet my 
unwelcomed acquaintance of the previous evening. I walked 
directly up to him and said, "Mr. Russell Wright, 1 believe." 

I shall never forget the pleasant look he gave me, and the 
kindly intonation of his voice, as he said, "Yes," which gave 
me courage, and I said, "My name is Strong," and then told 
him what I had heard about Spencer, and that I had gotten 
up that dose for Spencer, and had unintentionally given it to 



,3o CHAPTER IV 

him, for which I sincerely begged his pardon. He gave me a 
httle scolding for getting up so sancy a dose for any one. I 
then told him about the loss of my books, etc., and when we 
reached my boarding house and I was about turning in, he 
asked me to continue on and go up to his room and see some 
flowers he had, which invitation I gladly accepted. Besides 
Latin and Greek, he was also teacher of English grammar 
and botany. 

During our conversation he advised me to enter the school 
at once and not wait for my trunk. That he thought he knew 
where I could borrow books for the short time I would prob- 
ably need them, and gave me the names of several, so that 
on going around that evening I had no difficulty in getting 
all the books I needed, and the next day I enrolled as a student, 
and was placed in the proper classes. 

I was very anxious to enter college in the fall of 1845, ^^"^^^ 
had read Latin and Greek enough to do so, had I been properly 
instructed, but as stated in a ]:)revious chapter, I was poor and 
had to work summers to earn mone}- to pay for my schooling- 
winters, so I did not get on as rapidly or correctly as I could 
have done had I kept steadily at my work and under the same 
teachers. 

Another little incident grew out of the loss of my books 
which gave me a very different impression of "Boss" Wright 
from what most of the boys seemed to have of him. 

It was quite a few days before my trunk came, and when 
it did, I immediately began returning the books I had bor- 
rowed, (3ne of which was a Latin grammar to a Miss Miller, 



CHAPTER IV 31 

I think ; and happening to meet her on the street gave her the 
book and thanked her for her kindness in loaning it to me. 
She took it without saying a word, but looked at me with icy 
cold astonishment, wdiich 1 construed as a decided snub, in- 
tended to let me know that she didn't want to have anything 
more to do with me. 1 could not understand it, but said nothing 
about her manner of treating me even to Brackett, for a young 
fellow doesn't like to tell of his being snubbed, but I found out 
the reason for her action the next day. 

Every student at that time had to attend religious exerciser 
at nine o'clock every morning in the main building, and my 
astonishment the next morning may be imagined when, as 
soon as prayers were ended, "Boss" Wright called out, "Mr. 
Strong and Miss Miller will rise," and then said, "It is my 
painful duty to reprimand both of you. It has been reported 
to me that you two held a conversation on the street yesterday 
in open violation of one of the well known rules of the school.'* 
As I thought Spencer must have made the report, my 
fiery temper couldn't stand that, and I said at once, "Mr. 
Wright, the person who made that report falsified, and I might 
with truth use a harsher term." 1 then in a few words toid- 
him about the loss of my books and of my borrowing a Latin 
grammar of Miss Miller, and that my trunk came yesterday 
and I started to return Miss Miller her book, but happened 
to meet her on the street and gave it to her, thanking her for 
her kindness in loaning it to me, a perfect stranger, not know- 
ing that 1 was violating any rule of the school ; that she took 
the book, but never said a word. Mr. Wright then said, "That 



32 CHAPTER IV 

being the case, Miss Miller has not violated the rule and may 
be seated, and Mr. Strong will in the future be a little more 
careful to avoid even the appearance of evil ; he may be seated." 

After school hours that da}- I called upon Principal 
Wright, at his house, and explained the whole situation to 
him, telling him that I intended to obey the rules of the school 
strictly. He said if I did, there would be no trouble, and talked 
verv pleasantly with me for some time, and from what he 
said and the way he said it, I came to the conclusion that he 
was a puritanically strict man, but that he intended to be just, 
and was kindly disposed, and I liked him ever after. 

I also called upon Miss Miller where she boarded, and 
begged her pardon for unintentionally placing her in such an 
embarrassing position ; for to be called to stand up under 
censure before an audience of over three hundred young men, 
and nearly one hundred young women, besides the teachers, 
was exceedingly embarrassing to a young lady. Williston 
Seminarv was a school for both sexes at that time, what is 
now called a Co-Ed. institution. She said she knew tlie rule, 
and was astonished at my speaking to her on the street. I 
ne\^er had any more trouble while at Wiriston. 

Principal Wright occasionally came to the dififerent class 
rooms and listened to the recitation for a while. I remember 
his listening to one in Virgil once where the student pronounced 
the word "w-o-u-n-d", woond. He stopped him and said, "I 
never fooned any good groond for pronooncing that woond, but 
I have found very good ground for ])ronouncing it wound." 
Although a species of logic that will not hold good in any 



CHAPTER IV 33 

language I am acquainted with, except French, it was a Httie 
pleasantry that I have always remembered. 

Easthampton was a very pleasant Xew England village, 
and there was plenty of fun for us boys, fishing in the canal, 
and trying to catch lamprey eels under the bridge. 

It was a pleasant walk to Mount Tom, and often when we 
had time we would walk to its summit, where for the first 
time in my life I saw a beautiful little lake on the summit of a 
mountain. One would suppose there would be crevices enough 
through the rocks forming the mountain to let the water down 
into the Connecticut river flowing at its base, but no, the 
beautiful little lake remained, and for ought 1 know, still 
remains although it is now (1910J sixty-five years since 1 
have seen it. 

When three sisters with whom we were well acquainted 
came from Rushville, Xew York, and entered Mount Holyoke 
Seminary — then under the charge of Miss Alary L}on — 
Brackett and 1 would sometimes go over there to see them. 
AJiss Lyon required a letter from the parents of the girls before 
she would allow us to visit with them except in the presence 
of a teacher, which we obtained, and after that, we were wel- 
come, and were permitted to take them out walking. 

At one time the students of Amherst College and the 
young ladies of Mount Holyoke Seminary joined in a picnic, 
and a talented fellow by the name ofMarch, offered this toast, 
''Aliss Lyon, surrounded b}^ her pupils; a jewel set in fine 
gold." 

Miss Lyon immediately returned the compliment by offer- 



34 CHAPTER IV 

ing this toast, "Mr. March, may the mind of March keep 
pace with the march of mind." Two verv^ comi^Hmentary 
and pretty toasts. Several acquaintances of the young- ladies 
were fortunate in receiving invitations to this picnic. 

The founder of Williston Seminary and his wife were al- 
ways very kind, and if any one of the students was sick, he 
tound a father and mother in Mr. and Mrs. Williston. 

At the end of the school year of 1845, ""^y health had given 
out to such an extent that I was obliged to forego entcrmg 
college that fall, therefore I went home. 

My health remained quite poor all that winter, and in the 
spring my brother William wrote that he could get me the 
same place in the drug store that he expected to get me last 
year, and if I still desired to study medicine it would be a good 
place for me to begin doing it. I will here state that m those 
days it was considered the proper thing for a doctor to know 
how to compound his own medicines ; I therefore went to 
Cleveland and began clerking for Mr. Fisk, a druggist on 
Superior Street, at two dollars a week, which was thought to 
be enough to pay my board. It was my duty to sweep out the 
store, dust the bottles, and keep things looking tidy generally. 
Mr. Fisk was a very clever, upright man, and after I had been 
Ithere about a month, told me that when there was nothing 
particular to be done I could spend the time reading books on 
medicine which he handed me, and advised me to enter my 
name in Dr. Gregory's office as his student, which I did. 

Things went on in this way for some four or five months 
when one day some doctor left a prescription written in Latiri 



CHAPTER IV 35 

contractions. Mr. Miller, the head clerk, was unable to make 
it out, and passed it up to Mr. Fisk, who took it and studied 
it, but was also unable to decipher it, which annoyed him ex- 
ceedingly, and when passing me on his way to dinner he showed 
it to me, saying, "There, James, when }OU can read prescrip- 
tions written like that you can begin to be a doctor," and then 
threw the paper on to his desk. After he was gone Miller 
began to swear about the doctor, saying he was a young fellow 
just beginning to practice and that he had used some unusual 
contractions just to show off his learning. 1 went up to the 
desk, took the paper, and being right fresh from my studies 
had little difficulty, — with the aid of the Lexicon, — in decipher- 
ing it. It so happened that Miller was busy with a customer 
until Mr. Fisk returned, so I had no opportunity to say any- 
thing to him, but stepped up to Mr. Fisk when he came in 
and read it to him. He was greatly pleased and said he would 
rather have given a thousand dollars than to have told that 
doctor that he couldn't read his prescription, and immediately 
called out, "Mr. Miller, take James behind the prescription 
counter." The next day another boy was handling the broom, 
and doing the boy's work, and 1 was helping Miller, of course, 
not putting up prescriptions, but learning the names and prices 
of the drugs when sold b\' themselves, and not compounded 
or on prescriptions. This gave me much more time to study 
and as time went oii 1 was given a certain number of hours 
to devote to my chosen profession. Everything moved on about 
the same, except a little increase of salary, until the next sum- 



36 CHAPTBR IV 

mer, when my health began to run down somewhat and I 
asked Mr. Fisk for a vacation, which he granted. 

Two of my Rushville schoohiiates had moved to Ypsil- 
anti, Mich., and settled upon a farm, and had written asking 
me to come and visit them. This I did, and had a nice time, 
remaining two weeks. While I was there a man rode a very 
handsome pony into the yard, which I bought, he to deliver 
him at the steamer dock in Detroit on a certain day. When 
I arrived, there stood the pony, and I took him to Cleveland 
with me. My health had not improved much, and I began 
riding the pony every day. One day a wool merchant with 
whom I had become acquainted offered to pay me well if 1 
would ride out on the different roads leading out of Cleveland, 
distribute his cards and hand-bills, and ask wool growers to 
take their loads of wool to his place of business and induce as 
many as I could to go to him first; in short, act as his solicit- 
ing agent. This I did for some time, but my health did not 
improve much and the doctor advised me to take a much 
longer vacation. I, therefore, took my pony on board a steam- 
er to Buffalo, N. Y., and rode him from there to my mother's 
home in Rushville, where I remained until Mr. Fisk wrote 
wanting to know if my health was so poor as to prevent my 
coming back. 

My mother had been wanting to visit brother William for 
some time but was so afraid of traveling by water that she 
could not make up her mind to take a steamer on Lake Erie 
to do so. It was suggested that she take her horse and buggy, 
and 1 drive her to Cleveland. This struck her as quite feasible, 



CHAPTER IV 37 

my having- driven horses so much while peddhng books, and 
also for Dr. Gregory, g-ave her considerable confidence in my 
skill as a driver, and she consented to go. The day after we 
started there came on a heav\' rain which compelled us to stop 
early in the afternoon, and on starting- next morning, although 
the day was line, the mud was pretty bad, and when we reached 
the foot of Lake Erie, just before reaching Buffalo, it was 
awful, and I prevailed upon mother to have the horse and 
buggy put on board and go the rest of the wa}- on a steamer, 
which she reluctantly did, and the next day we were in Cleve- 
land. But poor mother was dreadfully sea-sick, although it was 
not very rough. 

]\ly health did not become as robust as it ought to be, 
and I went to the Water-cure establishment, about two miles 
out of Cleveland, and was obliged to give up my situation at 
Mr. Fisk's. 

IMother and I went back to Rushville with the horse and 
buggy after the roads became good, late in the spring and I 
remained there until the fall of 1849. 




HOX. WTLLTAAI STROXG 

This picture was taken from a dagucre- 

otype taken in 1849. 



Chapter V. 

In the fall of 1849, brother William was appointed a 
United States Judge for the Territority of Oregon, and ac- 
cepted the appointment. He was told to be in New York City 
bv the middle of December, where he would meet Governor 
Gaines, the newly appointed Governor of the Territory, and 
General Hamilton, the newly appointed Secretary, each with 
their families, to take passage on the U. S. Store ship Supply 
that was then going to San Francisco, California. 

My brother wrote, giving the number of his family as 
consisting of wife, one son five years old, and one not quite 
one year old. He then asked permission to take me, which was 
granted. 

On arriving in New York about the middle of December, 
we found that the Government had changed the midships of 
the Navy Store ship Supply into a cabin, with staterooms on 
each side for the Territorial officers and their families, they 
to furnish all their own provisions, service and servants. 

I do not remember the exact ' day we went on board at 
the Brooklyn Navy Yard, but I distinctly remember the four 
next, as I was most terribly seasick. On the afternoon of the 
fourth day I had dressed but could not sit up, at least 1 thought 
so, but about two hours before dark, I heard the lookout cry, 
"Sail Ho, two points off the lee bow." I shall never forget 
the feeling that cry gave me. I sj^rang from my bunk, ran 
on deck and sat on the seat that encircled the "poop deck", 



42 CHAPTER V 

watching that ship until even its masts were hidden by the 
rotundity of the earth. When supper was ready I went down 
into the cabin, partook hghtly of it, and then took my bunk 
again. The next morning I went to breakfast, and from that 
time to the end of the journey around Cape Horn I never feU 
a quahii. sometimes hishing myself in the rigging to witness the 
storms. 

My health was not good when I left and I heard that some 
of the officers made the remark when thev saw me come on 
board that they were sorry to see that young man come 
aboard, they did not like to have a funeral at sea. How little 
we know wdiat is before us. Here I am eight-four years old, 
having passed through the Indian War of 1855-56, in Oregon 
and Washington Territories, and the Civil War, and being 
most severely wounded, while nearly, if not quite, every one 
of the officers on board the ship at that time are dead. The 
officers were, Capt. Kennedy, Lieut. Winder, Surgeon Thorii- 
ley, and Past Midshipmen Bagger, Broadhead, Truxton and 
McGaw. 

When we reached the equator there was a dead calm, 
and the sea was as smooth as glass. The captain ordered a 
boat to be manned with a boatswain and eight oarsmen and 
had them tow the vessel. He had a canopy placed over the 
boat to protect the men from the heat of the sun, and they 
would pull for two hours, then be relieved by another crew. 
This was kept up da}- and night until we passed through the 
"Doldrums." W'hile l^eing thus towed, we passed close by a 
ship becalmed, the captain of which asked Capt. Kennedy to re- 



CHAPTER V 43 

port him if we arrived in Rio Jane'ro first. The Supply 
was a ver}- small ship compared to ships that have 
been built for the navy since that date, and this 
primitive manner of towing did very well, as it 
took ns along- at the rate of about a mile an 
hour for about forty miles, which enabled us to reach Rio 
Janeiro ten days ahead of that other vessel. I was told that 
it was becalmed that number of days, which shows that it sailed 
as fast as we, after it got under way. 

The harbor of Rio Janeiro is a niost beautiful one, and our 
ship remained here longer than we expected, for what reason 
I do not know, as yellow fever was raging in the city at the 
time. 

It was the ftrst time in my life that I had been in a tropical 
country and seen tropical fruit in such abundance. The first 
time I landed at the quay and walked up on the piazza, I saw 
many small stands filled with fruit, each one tended by an old 
negro man or woman. Slavery existed in Brazil at that time, 
and these negroes were tending these fruit stands for their 
masters. I stepped up to a stand that was loaded wih oranges, 
and as I could not speak the language — Portuguese — I handed 
out a silver twenty-five cent piece and took up an orange to 
show the vender what I wanted. She pushed all the oranges 
on the table — two or three dozen — toward me, and then lifted 
up a basket holding at least ten or fifteen dozen more. I saw 
I was getting many more than I wanted and selecting out a 
dozen of the finest ones pushed the rest back. She then handed 
me eleven forty mill reis pieces, called "dumps." On going 



44 CHAPTER V 

aboard ship I showed these immense copper pieces to one of 
the officers, and told him how I got them. He laughed at 
me and said I had been cheated, that I ought to have gotten 
twice as many oranges for half the money, a "vinton," which 
is a twenty mill reis piece. I have one of each of those coins 
in my possession now, as a reminder of my first purchase in a 
tropical country. 

Dom Pedro II. was then the emperor of Brazil, and had 
a very large and beautiful garden, in which, it was claimed, 
there was a specimen of every fruit tree in the world, as well 
as many that were not fruit bearers. Permission was given us 
to visit this garden whenever we wished, and several of our 
party, including myself, did so several times. Not speaking 
the language was a great drawback to my receiving much 
education from the visits. My eye took in its beauties, how- 
ever, and up to that time, it was the most beautiful garden 
I had ever seen, but having visited England and France since 
then and seen all the wonderfully beautiful gardens in Paris, 
that one of the Brazilian emperor falls far into the back- 
ground. 

Finally we left Rio, none of us having as yet caught the 
yellow fever. Some of the seamen had, however, and had been 
taken from the shij), but the captain, fearing he was going to 
have it, took the ship to Saint Catharines, a beautiful bay about 
six hundred miles down the coast from Rio Janeiro. Then our 
sorrows began. 

On the way down, my brother's little five year old boy 
died, and was buried at sea. Then one of Gov. Gaines' 



CHAPTER V 45 

daughters, a young lady grown, died, but as we were within 
a short distance of the harbor she was taken ashore and buried 
in the garden of the American Consul at that port. Another 
of the Governor's daughters, also a young lady grown, was 
sick with the fever, and was taken ashore, but died, and was 
buried by the side of her sister. All our party went on shore 
and boarded at a Spaniard's named Don Antonio, whose resi- 
dence was on the opposite side of the bay from that of the 
American Consul. The captain had the ship thoroughly fumi- 
gated, but lie took the fever and came very near dying but 
finally recovered. 

We remained at this port a l(3ng, long time, the officers 
on the ship, and our party on shore. If I heard rightly, the 
reason for our lengthy stay here was that the captain having 
lost several of his men at Rio Janeiro with the fever, waited 
to recruit, not only his own health, but also the number of 
his crew. None of the other officers had the fever. While 
here, I went with a number of our party up the bay about ten 
miles to the City of Saint Catharines, to the celebration of 
St. Patrick's Day ; Brazil being a Catholic country the aa,. 
was one of great interest. The procession was unique. First 
came a squad of mounted vigilantes ; then a regiment of negro 
soldiers, one of its officers being an albino : then came a bishop 
under a purple canopy borne by four priests, the trail of his 
purple robe held from touching the ground by the choir boys ; 
then came a platform some ten feet wide, upon which was a 
life size wooden image of Christ bearing his cross, which was 
also of full size, this platform was borne by twenty priests ; 



46 CHAPTER V 

then followed fift\' little girls from eight to twelve years of 
age, in single file, representing angels, dressed in white and 
with beautiful feather wings fastened to their shoulders as if 
in the act of flying, and each carrying in her hand something- 
connected with the crucifixion ; one a nail, another a hammer, 
another a sponge, another a spear, and so on, duplicating the 
articles when necessary. 

This procession marched through several streets, until it 
arrived in front of the church where the soldiers formed in 
two lines, between which the bishop passed into the church, 
the platform was low^ered, and the image of Christ bearing 
his cross taken into the church and placed in the niche pre- 
pared for it ; the little girls followed it and took their places. 
We were admitted into the church, and saw the ceremony and 
listened to the sermon, Vv^hich none of us could understand as 
it was delivered in Portuguese. It was an elaborate and beau- 
tiful service. 

Don Antonio's house, where we boarded, stood on gently 
rising ground several hundred feet from the shore of the bay, 
surrounded by a grove of alternate orange trees and cofi-'ec 
bushes. Coffee, when on the bush, grows like a cherry, the 
flat side of two berries l^eing against each other and surroinided 
by a pulp which at one stage of its growth is red and edible 
like a cherry, and as it ripens, dries into a thin dry husk. Some 
of our i)arty bought sevend sacks of this coft'ee in the husk 
and carried it to Oregon for the use of their families and found 
that it was nuich l)elter in llavor tlian any not kc])! in the 
husk. 



CHAPTER V 47 

We had not been out at sea long ,after leaving St. Cath- 
arines before my brother was taken very sick and Surgeon 
Thornley thought hnn past recovery, but he gradually grew 
better, and finally entirely recovered, although he was under 
decks for five weeks. 

When we arrived off the Straits of Magellan the captain 
tried for two days to enter the straits, but being prevented bv' 
dense fog, sailed for Cape Horn. It was bright sunshine the 
day we reached the southernmost rocks of the South American 
continent called Cape Horn, and we passed so near that the 
Tocks were plainly visible, and by night we were fairly around 
and out of sight of them, and our party were congratulating 
ourselves upon our good luck in having escaped the stormy 
weather we had been told to expect at that season of the year. 
It proved, however, to be a good illustration of the old motto, 
"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," for just before 
reaching the seventy-fifth degree of west longitude we found 
ourselves in a fearful storm from the north, with sails reefed 
to the utmost, and weather so cold that the spray froze hard on 
the ropes, so that the sailors were obliged to vigorously knock 
the ice from them with blay-pins before they could run them 
through the blocks. We were driven down to the sixtieth 
degree of south latitude, and were over a week regaining the 
latitude of the Cape. That was what the captain feared, and 
was the reason why he tried so long to enter the Straits, bui 
after we did regain that latitude on the west coast, we met 
with no more storms, and when we struck the trade winds we 
sailed for ten days under full sail with studding-sails all set. 



48 CHAPTER V 

During this ten days the sailors scarcely touched a rope, which 
gave them a little rest after their strenuous labor during "our 
attempt to discover the south pole," as some of the officers 
facetiously termed it. 

\\q reached A'alparaiso, Chile, in due time, and went on 
shore to live, and here it was that I had my first experience of 
earthquakes, as several occurred during our stay there, which 
was quite prolonged, for what reason I do not know. None 
of the earthquakes were very severe, but severe enough to 
satisfy all my curiosity in regard to them. At one time there 
happened to be a large drove of burros, coming down the 
main street, each loaded with two bricks of copper, weighing, 
I was told, fifty pounds each, one on each side of his back, 
lashed to a most primitive saddle. The moment the tremor 
was perceptible, down went the burros and all began to bray, 
making as much, if not more, noise than the earthquake. At 
first one was tempted to laugh at the sight, but all such feelings 
were changed to pitv when the drivers were getting them upon 
their feet again, such extreme cruelty was used, but as the 
best of burros could be bought for fifty cents singly, and 
probably for much less in numbers, their commercial value 
counted little to their cruel drivers. The copper, I was told, 
came from smelters in the interior of the country. 

Some of us took horses and rode into the country, but as 
none of u.s spoke the language, "Spanish," sufficiently well we 
did not go to Santiago as we expected to, but we saw fruit 
in great abundance, and very clieap. Our party was invited 



CHAPTER V 49 

to several social functions, but having passed through so 
much sorrow, only a few attended. 

On receipt of a notice from Capt. Kennedy that the ship 
would sail on a certain day our partv sent on board such pro- 
visions, fruit etc., as they wished, and went on board just the 
day before the ship sailed. Some of them had sent their 
servant girls on board, two or three days before, to ge? tne 
cabin and staterooms in order, and when we went aboard it 
was found that one of the girls had eloped with one of the 
crew, who had deserted. Every effort to find them was un- 
availing, and the ship sailed without them. 

We had an uneventful voyage between \'alparaiso and 
San Francisco, until, on attempting to enter the Golden Gate, 
we came very near running on to the rocks on the north of it, 
on account of a dense fog- The "Lookout" cried, "Breakers 
ahead" ; he could see nothing, but heard them. Capt. Kenned} 
was standing on the bow, and I was standing near him when 
all at once we could hear the breakers directly ahead. Capt. 
Kennedy was a fine sailor, and had everything in readiness 
for quick action in case it should be necessary ; he immediate- 
ly gave the proper orders and the ship swamg around just in 
time, and as she swung broadside to the rocks we could see 
that we had just missed them. On the afternoon of the same 
day we entered the Golden Gate and anchored, havmg been 
fi-fty-two days at sea between X'alparaiso and San Francisco. 

Here our party was transferred to the Sloop of War, 
Faliiioiit/i, Captain Pettigrew, who had received orders to take 
us to "Astoria, on the Columbia river, Oregon," which he did, 



50 CHAPTER V 

arriving there on August 13, 1850. Surgeon F. M. Gunnell. 
who afterwards became Surgeon General of the Navy, was 
the surgeon of the FahnoutJi, at that time. 

The officers had been told that there was a small river 
steamer, the Midtnoinah, that ran on the Columbia, upon which 
they could take passage, but on reaching Astoria they found 
she was laid up for repairs, and that Capt. Hoyt, her captain, 
had gone to San Francisco for the machinery needed ; they 
also learned that the Midtnoinah was the only one on the river 
except the mail steamer which ran between San Francisco and 
the Columbia river once a month, and that it would be about 
three weeks before she was due again. Captain Pettigrew 
could not be persuaded to take us up the river. He said that 
personally he would be glad to do so, but his orders were to 
take us to Astoria, and return to San Francisco. 

It is very difTficult for persons who have never been placed 
in such a position to realize the situation ; no railroads, no 
telegraphs, no mails, even, except once a month, so the only 
thing to be done was to go ashore and find some way of 
getting up the river. 

The next day after we landed, a man who had been con- 
nected with the Hudson iuiy Company came from Scar- 
borough Point on the north side of the river and suggested that 
Governor Gaines send an Indian Messenger to Chief Factor 
Ogden, sa}ing, that if he sent for us, — and he had no doubt 
but that he would, — it would be the (piickest way in which 
the officers could reach ( )regon City, which at that time was 
the capital of the territory. 



CHAPTER [' 51 

We were much surprised to see this messenger start off 
on this long- trip, on one of the largest rivers in the world, 
in one of the smallest canoes in which a man could 
ride. It would carry but one person, and that one, unless an 
Indian, would have to be an expert to keep it light side up 
even in perfectly smooth water. 

It can well be imagined that the few da}s we remained 
there awaiting Chief Factor Ogden's reply were anxious ones, 
but they passed quickly as everything was new and strange 
to us. While waiting, the officers obtained all the information 
they could as to the size of the boat he would probably send, 
if he sent any, and came to the conclusion that if all could not 
go, then just the officers would, the others should wait for 
the mail steamer, and this old attache showed us how to pack 
our necessary articles in the most compact form for packing 
in a batteau, the rest of the goods that we brought on the Fal- 
moutli were stored. Nearly all our goods brought from the 
States on the Supply were not transferred to the Falnwiit/i, 
but left in San Francisco. 

In a few days one of the largest batteaux in the company's 
service arrived, bringing a cordial welcome from Chief Factor 
Ogden, and it was found that by reducing the baggage tr 
mere necessities, all of us could go together. This was done, 
and when the tide began to flood the next day we stariea. 
This was indeed a novel mode of traveling for our party, for 
none of us had ever experienced any frontier life. The tide 
made a very strong current up stream and we reached Cath- 
lamct, twenty-live miles from Astoria, for our first night. This 



52 CHAPTER J' 

was a most beautiful location and Mr. James Birnie, a retired 
Chief Trader of the Hudson Bay Company, lived here with 
his famil)-. He had a store and did a large business with the 
Indians. Airs. Birnie cared for the ladies of our party, and 
the men slept in their blankets under the trees. 

The next day at Rood tide we started on, .going ashore 
whenever necessary, and stopping at night wherever the man 
in charge of the battcau thought best. We would get our 
supper, roll up in our blankets on the ground for the night, 
get our breakfast in the morning, and then start on. 

In a few days we arrived at Fort Vancouver and were 
met by Chief Factor Ogden, who kindly invited us all to ac- 
cept his hospitalities for such time as we desired, but as the 
officers all wished to go on he offered to send them at once, so, 
after thanking him most heartily for his kindness, all our party, 
except my brother's wife and baby, went to Oregon City in 
the same batteau. The baby having taken a severe cold, she 
thought she must remain and keep him from any more ex- 
posure until the arrival of the balance of our goods, which 
were expected to come b\' the next mail steamer from San 
Francisco. I remained with her, and in a short time my brother 
returned, and I went to Oregon City in a canoe, paddled b}- 
Indians. 

There were no houses on the east side of the river at 
Portland, and very few on the west and between Portland and 
r)regon City there was a san(ll)ar on which at that time the 
water was so shallow that batteaux and even canoes had to be 



CHAPTER V 53 

poled over it, although the water at that time was pouring over 
the falls at Oregon City. 

Here I learned that, a little over two months prior to that 
time, five Indians liad been hanged there for the part they 
took in the massacre of Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife, and 
several others at the Whitman Mission. The massacre took 
place on November 29th, 1847, ^"^ these Indians were hanged 
in June, 1850. I was greatly interested in everything relating 
to Dr. Whitman, as can readily be seen I would be, and have 
written an account of what I learned about his massacre dur- 
ing the six years I lived in Oregon and Washington Terri- 
tories. 

I do not remember when I first heard of the massacre, hwt 
after my health became so poor that I was obliged to leave 
Mr. Fisk's in Cleveland, Ohio, brother William advised me 
to give up the study of medicine, and study law, and from that 
time on what study I did was under his direction. 

There were three Judges in the U. S. District Court of 
Oregon and when that court met, it appointed me Clerk of the 
first Judical District, which office I held until Oregon was 
divided, and Washington Territory created. 

When I first arrived in Oregon I was told that a knowl- 
edge of the language called "Chinook Jargon," which had been 
used by the Hudson Bay Company in all its dealings with the 
Indians, would not only be interesting, but useful to me, so 1 
never missed an opportunity of perfecting myself in it, as I 
expected to live here the remainder of my life. 



Chapti:r VI . 

In 1850 and '51 there were but few white men on the 
north side of the Cohimbia river, except those connected witli 
the Hudson Bay Company. I took up my residence at Cath- 
lamet in the fall of 1850, and with two men looked after the 
getting out of the logs for brother William's house on the 
claim he had taken up. He and his wife planned the house 
and selected the spot it was to occupy, and we worked at it the 
best we could. We also cleared off some land at the old Indian 
village for a garden. I did not remain there steadily, but at- 
tended to my duties as Clerk of the Court. 

Brother William's wife was a highl}- educated woman, 
a graduate of one of the best seminaries for young ladies in 
the State of New York, and although knowing she would be 
deprived to a great extent of almost every comfort to which 
she had been accustomed, still, she had the courage to urge 
on the building of the log house, and late in the next spring 
(1851) was living in her own home at Cathlamet, with two 
fine baby boys. 

There were always quite a large number of Indians living- 
near, and at first she was very nmch annoyed at having them 
come into the house without announcing their intention of so 
doing, squat down on her floors wherever they pleased and 
watch her every move. I can assure you it required no little 
amount of courage for a woman with two youfig l^abies, and 
not accustomed to Indians, to do that. 



CHAPTER VI 55 

As time went on the house was made more and more 
comfortable, and more people settled in the valley of the Elo- 
hamon river, the soil of which was very rich, and heavily 
timbered, and their only outlet was throuo;h Cathlamet, whicli 
continued to grow rapidly. 

During the summer of 1850, before going to Cathlamet to 
reside, also during the summer and fall of 1851, and much 
of 1852, -3 and -4, I spent at Fort Vancouver, and in traveling 
up and down the rivers. While at Fort A ancouver, T became 
well acquainted with Major Rufus Ingalls, then Quartermaster 
at the V. S. Army Post at Fort Vancouver, and wath several 
officers of the Army stationed there, among whom (later on), 
was Capt. U. S. Grant, as well as with the officers of the 
Hudson Bay Co. I cannot remember the date, but on meeting 
Chief Factor Ogden one day he invited me to come and live 
at his table, whenever I came to Fort X^ancouver, and gave 
me a room which he said I could occupy whenever I wished. 

Cathlamet was my home, and it was growing very fast, 
and when I wished to build my house, 1 went to San Francisco 
and bought everything necessary for it, that I could find alreadv 
made, including white paint, and ordered them shipped to 
Cathlamet. They shipped them on a small sailing vessel, which, 
unfortunately, was blown ashore and lost. Soon as I learned 
that fact I went to San Francisco again and duplicated the 
order. 

From the summer of 1851, I had business either for my- 
self or others that called me to San Francisco, once, and some- 
times twice a year, but 1 think it was on this trip that I met 



56 CHAPTER VI 

my old schoolmate, Henry M. Brackett, and persuaded him 
to go up to Cathlamet with me. We had lost track of each 
other, and he had had hard luck, having lost everything he 
possessed in a fire, barely escaping with his life. 

After my house was built, brother Charles, who had comt 
to Cathlamet, Brackett and myself kept house in it, taking 
turns doing our own cooking. 

As time went on, division of the Territory of Oregon 
began to be talked about, of which all of us at Cathlamet 
were in favor. 

Before the Territory was divided, when the subject of 
having a wagon road from the Columbia river to Puget Sound 
was being agitated, in company with Mr. Dray, William Ander- 
son, William Stillwell, Newell Brewer (settlers in the valley 
back of Cathamet) and two Indians, 1 surveyed a line for a 
road from Cathlamet to Boisfort prairie, but found it imprac- 
ticable, as road building was tJieii understood, the expenses 
of this survey were borne by the interested parties. 

We had engaged a young man with whom 1 was ac- 
quainted, to go with the party as surveyor; he had come to 
Cathlamet, and the party was nearly ready to start, when he 
unfortunately cut his foot so badly with the hatchet, while 
sharpening a stake, as to prevent his going; so 1 had to go. 

Speaking of my going as surveyor puts me in mind of an 
incident which 1 will be pardoned for mentioning here, though 
a digression; that another person (whose name I cannot now 
recall) and myself surveyed the east part of Mrs. Esther 
Shorts land claim at Kort Vancouver, into city lots, streets, 



CHAPTER J 7 57 

etc., and that the first Legislative Assembly of Washington 
Territory, on March 15, 1854, passed an act naming this land 
of Mrs. Short's, so surveyed by us, "Columbia City," and 
made it the county seat of Clarke County. It was where Van- 
couver on the Columbia river now stands. 

We had a pretty hard time of it surveying that road, as it 
took much longer than we expected, and the packer was care- 
less and lost or wasted not only our provisions, but our ammu- 
nition as well, so that we were without food for five days, but 
we had plenty of fresh, cool, mountain water. 

It was on this expedition that I, while sitting on a knoll 
writing up my notes, was made and held a prisoner under a 
fallen tree by two elk ; had thev knovv^i enough to have placed 
themselves one on each side of the tree, instead of both re- 
maining on the same side, they could have reached me, and 
would undoubtedly have put me out of commission before any 
of my party arrived. 

All the property owners interested in the growth of Cath- 
lamet joined forces and built a wdiarf, but I do not remember 
the date. 

We, whose address was Cathlamet, had to have our mail 
from the States left at Astoria, and brought up from there by 
the little river steamer, which sometimes added several days 
to the usual thirty from New York to Astoria. We persuaded 
Mr. Birnie to take the Postmastership, which he consented to 
do, provided Brackett and myself would be appointed deputies, 
and agree to do all the work. In due time the Post Office was 
established in Mr. Birnie's store, and many an hour both night 



58 CHAPTER VI 

and day have Brackett and myself watched for the ocean steam- 
er, pulled out to her, and exchanged mail bags. 

In the fall of 1852, there were settlers enough north of the 
Columbia river to call a convention, which convened on Nov. 
25, 1852, at Monticello, near the mouth of the Cowlitz river, 
and petitioned Congress to create the Territory of "Columbia" 
out of the northern part of Oregon. 

The petitioners were somewhat surprised to learn that 
Congress not only refused to name the new Territory "Colum- 
bia," but insisted u])on naming it "Washington," to which the 
persons having the matter in charge were obliged to consent, 
and it was only about fifteen months from the date of holding 
that convention that Oregon was divided, and the "Territory of 
Washington" was in political running order. 

Its first Legislative Assembly convened at Olympia, on 
Feb. 27, 1854. I was dul}- elected a member of the House, but 
was not sworn in until April 14th (as can be seen on page 
ninety-seven of the Journal of the House of that session ) . and 
served to the end of the session. 

In the winter of 1852-3, Capt. U. S. Grant came to Fort 
X'ancouver, and remained until the fall of 1854, during which 
time he and brother William became such warm friends that 
he would sometimes get a ''Leave of Absence" and spend it 
at brother William's house at Cathlamet. In this way I be- 
came quite well acquainted with him. Capt. Grant was ;» 
(|uiet, taciturn man, very energetic, and determined to accom- 
plish whatever he undertook — as an}- one could see by the way 
he worked at a field of potatoes, or garden truck of some kind, 



CHAPTER J^I 59 

while there at Fort \^ancouver — but very much inclined to 
look upon the dark side of life ; while brother William was jolly, 
full of life, fond of telling- laughable stories, witty, and always 
good company. Why I mentiovi this about Capt. Grant will 
be seen later on. 

Xot long after the Legislature adjourned, John vS. Clen- 
denin, Esq., the U. S. Attorney for the Territory of Wash- 
ington, appointed me "Assistant U. S. Attorney for the Ter- 
ritory of Washington," and placing me in charge of all 
his business, left for the States. The next year at the general 
election I was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the ist Judicial 
District of the Territory of Washington. 

When the Indian W^ar broke out I joined a company and 
served until discharged. 

I had taken every opportunity to perfect myself in the 
Chinook Jargon ; my best teacher being ''Wah-kee-nah," an 
Indian girl who lived in mv brother William's family, and 
of whom I have written in a book published in 1893, entitled 
"WAH-KEE-NAH, and Her People, the Curious Customs, 
Traditions, and Legends of the North American Indians." 

I proved to be a very apt scholar and learned to speak 
it so fluently, au.d pronounce it so accurately, that I was often 
told b}- Indians, "Mica z^'cn^'a sii^'as/i i^'cnca bias close", mean- 
ing, "You speak the Indian language very well." I remember 
quite a good deal of it even now. 

In the spring of 1856, the Judges concluded that 0£i ac- 
count of the war they would not hold any courts until fall, 
that the farmers might put in their crops, repair damages, etc., 



6o CHAPTER VI 

so about the middle of July, 1856, John D. Biles, who was 
then Clerk of the ist Judicial District of Washington Terri- 
tory, and who was a member of the House in the First Legis- 
lature at the same time I was, and myself left for the States, 
both expecting to return prior to the holding of any Courts. 
He returned but I did not, for the following reason. 

My aged mother had moved from Rushville to Rockford, 
Illinois, and was very much opposed to my going back, and 
when it came near the time for me to start, became seriouslv 
ill, and asked me to promise her that I would not return so 
long as she lived, which I did. She then began to improve and 
lived nearly five years, dying about two months prior to the 
breaking out of the Civil War. 

Remaining in the East in 1856 was a great disappoint- 
ment to me as all my interests lay in the Territory of Wash- 
ington, but I considered my duty to my aged mother para- 
mount to all others. 

After making this promise to my mother I resigned my 
offices in Washington Territory, and formed a partnership 
with my brother John C. — the other one of my brothers who 
graduated at Yale College — who was then practicing law in 
Buffalo, N. Y., and went there to live. 

On November i. 1859, I married Miss Emily Kennett 
Efner, youngest daughter of Mr. Elijah D. Efner a pioneer 
of Buffalo, from 1809. He was a soldier in the war of 1812; 
was with the troops under General Hull when Detroit sur- 
rendered to the British. He firmly believed that the surrender 
was obtained by the British firing gold at the general, instead 



CHAPTER VI 61 

of lead at the soldiers. When Biififalo was attacked, he helped 
man a field-piece on Main Street, and kej)t firing into the 
British and Indians as they came up Niagara Street from 
Black Rock, until his position was nearly flanked on both right 
and left. 



CHArTER VII. 

\\'hen the Civil War broke out, I began immediately to 
raise a company, was elected its Captain, and sent to Elmira, 
X. Y., where the company was mustered in as Co. "E" 21st 
Regt. N. Y. Vol. Inft., my commission as Captain giving me 
Rank from May 7, t86i. The regiment was commanded by Col- 
onel William F. Rogers, — afterwards Brig. General, and mem- 
ber of Congress — as brave and noble hearted man as ever 
lived. He passed through seventeen battles, and manv skir- 
mishes without receiving a single wound. 

Some time after the regiment arrived at Washington, D. 
C, Col. Rogers was ordered to take command of Fort Run- 
yon, which w^as a little less than a mile south of the Long 
Bridge. Here the regiment remained until after the first battle 
of Bull Run. 

AMiile here, Col. Rogers ordered me to take mv company 
an.d guard the Long Bridge, my headquarters being in what 
was formerly a brick tavern, a short distance from the south 
end of the bridge. It was here that some incidents quite il- 
lustrative of soldier life occurred, iov the comical and grave 
were often mixed, and when an amusing thing happened it 
gave zest to an otlierwise dull and monotonous life while in 
camp, doing merely daily routine duty. 

The Long liridge s])anncd the Totomac on the road lea<ling 
from Wa>hington. I). C. into X'iruinia. 



CHAPTER J ^11 6s 

About two o'clock one morning the corporal of the guard 
came to mv quarters, saying. "Captain, we have arrested a 
man and woman ; they are on horseback and want to cross over 
into Virginia. The man is in a general's uniform, but hasn't 
the countersign. He says he is General McDowell, and that 
the woman is his wife. I think he is giving us the bluff. I 
don't believe he is General McDowell any more than I am. 
He asked me who the Captain of this company was, and when 
I told him, he said he knew you and wanted me to take him 
to you and not put hnn in tlie "lock up." I think it is all a 
bluff." 

I dressed, took my lantern and went out to the street. I 
was accosted with, "Well, Capt. Strong, my wife and I are 
your prisoners, I hope vou treat prisoners kindly." I flashed 
the light of my lantern into his face and saw at once that it 
i^'cis General McDowell, and then said, "Why, General, how 
is this?" He said that he and his wife had been at a gather- 
ing of friends in Washington, and that he had forgotten the 
countersign, and asked me to give it to him, which, of course. 
I did. He complimented the guards for doing their duty in 
not accepting his word, and letting him pass, and bidding us 
all good-night, galloped off toward Arlington Heights, where 
he then had his quarters. 

Another thing occurred at the same place which shows 
how matters sometimes go among the soldiers themselves. One 
evening, when standing on the bank of the river which formed 
a little bay near our quarters, I saw a cork floating on the 
water some little distance from shore. My attention was called 



64 CHAPTER VII 

to it by the fact that it would sink under the httle waves maae 
by the wind, and bob up again in the same place. This excited 
mv curiosity, and getting into a small boat I went out to the 
cork. Judge of my surprise on finding it tied to a string, 
and the string to a sunken canteen. I then went hunting for 
corks and found two or three more to each of which was 
•attached a canteen containing more or less whisky. All ! 
thought I, now I will surely catch the boys who disobey or- 
ders — for it was strictly against orders to bring whisky into 
camp — so I took the canteens to my quarters and ordered an 
inspection to take place the first thing the next morning. It 
was too late to have one that evening and I said nothing about 
the canteens. But the boys were too smart for me, for on 
inspection I found one of the best sergeants, and some of the 
best men, none of whom could be suspected of such a dis- 
obedience of orders, and none of whom drank whisky, minus 
a canteen. The fact was that the men to wdiom the canteens 
belonged had carried on a wdiolesale stealing business during 
the night and supplied themselves with canteens. J\Iy plan 
for catching the guilty ones had signally failed, and all that 
was left for me to do was to pour out the whisky and send 
the canteens to the company's quarters, knowing that the boys 
who owned them were laughing in their sleeves at how nicely 
they had outwitted the Captain. 

Another thing occurred at the same place. One day the 
sergeant of the guard reported to mc that he had arrested a 
man who was coming across the l)ridgc with a two-horse 
wagon-load of old staljle manure, which he said he was going 



CHAPTER Vn 65 

to put on his farm. The sergeant said lie suspected the man 
had something hidden in the load. 1 went with him to where 
the man and his wagon had been left under guard, and talked 
with the man. He was very angry at what he said was a 
gross injustice, and with many oaths protested his innocence 
and said it had come to.pretty pass if an honest farmer couldn't 
haul a load of manure to put on his farm without being ar- 
rested. There was something about the man's looks and ac- 
tions that made me think the sergeant's suspicions were well 
founded. It was a very large, high load, and 1 ordered the 
sergeant to have two of the men unload the wagon. 1 noticed 
the man began to turn pale when the men mounted the wagon, 
and when they began pitching oft the load he turned white as 
a sheet. In a short time the men hoisted out a large keg. By 
this time the man was trembling like a leaf and began to beg 
tor his life. He then confessed that it was whisky, and I sent 
him with his whisky, team and load to Col. Rogers, who gave 
him a talking to, conliscated the whisk}', and let him go home 
with his team and load. 

Ihe land around these quarters was low and wet and 
after awhile many of the men became sick, and we were re- 
lieved by another company, returned to Fort Runyon and did 
duty with the regiment for quite a long time. 

1 am not attempting to follow exact dates in giving an ac- 
count of my personal happenings. After awhile, and after the 
regiment had left Fort Runyon, 1 was taken sick and went 
home on a thirty days "Sick Leave. ' Before it expired 1 re- 
ceived a letter from Col. Rogers, containing a recommenda- 



66 CHAPTER VII 

tion from himself, endorsed by General Wadsworth — our 
Brigade Commander — recommending me to Governor ^Morgan 
for appointment to a field position, and on my way back to the 
regiment, I stopped in Albany and presented my application. 
Governor Morgan said, "I know Col. Rogers and General 
Wadsworth very well, and remember seeing you fire one of 
those big guns from one of the bastions at Fort Runyon," anci 
turning to his adjutant said, 'Is there any field position that 
we can give Capt. Strong?" He answered, "You know, Gov- 
ernor, that the regiment forming at " (1 now forget 

where) "wrote you that they had gotten into a quarrel on the 
election of a Colonel, and had agreed that they would accept 
any stranger you might send them for that position." "Well, 
give Capt. Strong the position." "Oh! Governor," I said, "I 
have never been in command of a regiment, and would fear 
to assume so much responsibility." After talking with me a 
short time, saying among other things, "Xo one in that regiment 
has seen as much service as you have and I think you had 
better accept it. I am sure Col. Rogers and General Wads- 
worth v/ould not have sent me that letter had they not believed 
you competent." And, on my still declining, said, ''Well, then, 
come in tomorrow and 1 will see if there is anything else." 

The firing the big gun he referred to happened in this way. 
When at Fort Runyon, Col. Rogers at one time assigned the 
care of one of the bastions containing one of the large guns 
to my company, and we were in the habit of firnig it into a 
sandbank some distance off for the practice of loading and fir- 
ing, and when the Governor visited the Fort he asked to see 



CHAPTER III 67 

some of the big guns. Col. Rogers sent orders to me to get 
our bastion ready to show the Governor. In a short time Col. 
Rogers and the Governor came, and 1 was introduced. The 
Governor said he wanted to see us load and fire the gun. This 
we then proceed.ed to do, 1 giving the orders as 1 had been ac- 
customed to do. When it came to the order for the gunner to 
mount and sight the gun, the Governor said, "Capt, Strong, 
1 should like to see \'oii do that. See if }-ou can hit that old 
telegraph pole standing there by the sandbank." 1 was taken 
very much by surprise as I had never sighted the piece. 1 
knew it wouldn't do to show any hesitancy, so 1 sprang up to 
the gunner's place, sighted the gun on the pole, jumped down, 
ordered it fired, and to my great astonishment the ball struck 
the pole. The Governor complimented the men and me and 
left with Col. Rogers. It seems he remembered the incident. 

The next morning I went back to the Governor's office 
and received my commission as Lieutenant Colonel 38th Regt. 
N. Y. \'ol. Infantry, with orders to return to Buffalo and equii) 
myself for the position. This I did, and joined the 38th near 
Alexandria, \'irginia, soon as possible. 

It was Sunday when I reached there, and Col.J.H. Ho- 
bart Ward, the colonel of the regiment, informed me that I was 
in command, as he was on hospital inspection duty and that the 
senior captain was now the ranking officer. 

How 1 wished i had taken Governor ^Morgan's advice and 
accepted the colonelcy of the regiment he advised me to take, 
for instead of being in command of a regiment that had never 
seen any service, 1 found myself in command of one that had 



6S CHAPTER VII 

passed through the first battle of Bull Run, and was now 
without a Lieutenant Colonel or Major. 

They had heard that a captain of the 21 Regt. had been 
commissioned Lieut. Col. of their Regt. and the officers — ex- 
cept the Colonel and Surgeon — were very much provoked about 
it, and gave me the cold shoulder most decidedly. 

It was in mid winter and this regiment, known as "The 
2nd Scott Life Guards," had built the best camp I ever saw 
in the army in the field. There was a fine separate log hous*' 
for each field officer, one for the surgeon, another for the 
officers' mess room, and each company had its own officers and 
company quarters. There was also a good sized log house foi 
a theatre in wdiich the regiment would often have plays and 
concerts. 

In the mess room I was given a table at which four could 
sit, but for quite awhile not an officer came near it, or s])oke to 
me, except as in duty bound. 

Colonel \\ ard only returned occasionally, and when he did 
he had his meals brought to his ([uarters, and did not assume 
command until the regiment was ordered south, and went with 
many others on transports down the Chesapeak. 

My situation was decidedly uncomfortable, but there was 
no way out of it except to resign, which, of course, was out of 
the question. The advice given the graduating class at \\'\\- 
liston by Luther Wright, tlie ])rincipal. in 1845, which war. 
"Never shrink from responsibility when it is cast upon vou," 
came to mv mind and benefited me. 



CHAPTER Vn 69 

The weather was very bad, so I conld have no drills, or 
even dress parades, nothing but the ordinary camp duties. 

One day, when the snow was about two inches deep, with 
a hard crust upon it, an order came for me to take the regi- 
ment out on picket duty, and the first compliment I received 
was when I rode out to form the regiment, I heard the surgeon 
say, "Well, if our new colonel don't know anything else he 
knows how to ride," I had a very fine looking, high spirited 
horse, but she was dreadfully afraid of soldiers and when 1 
gave the order to march, the noise of the cracking crust under 
the soldiers' feet was too much for her nerves, and she gave a 
great leap to one side, and the snow balls, which had gatherea 
under her feet caused her to fall fiat, but fortunately did not 
catch my leg under her. As the bridle reins slipped from my 
hand she was up like a fiash, and off for the stable on a keen 
run, and the ranking captain, now acting major, and on horse 
back and my orderly, on my other horse after her. I went 
on with the regiment on foot until m\- horse returned when 
I immediately mounted, and to my great surprise was cheered 
to the echo by the regiment. When we returned from picket 
duty the weather had moderated, and I began holding dres? 
parades and drills. 

Thanks to Col. Rogers, wdio would sometimes take me to 
his quarters, when 1 was with the 21st, and with his w^ooden 
blocks teach me how to drill a regiment, and by hard study 
after my promotion, I could do it tolerably well. 

Col. Rogers had gotten up a new w^ay of forming a "hol- 
low square," and had kindlv taught me, so 1 drilled the regi- 



70 CHAPTER VII 

ment in that way. One day an aide came from the general 
commanding the brigade, saying that he had heard that I had 
a new way of forming a "hollow square," and that he would be 
at our drill ground the next afternoon at three o'clock to wit- 
ness the drill. It proved to be a fine day and I had the regi- 
ment on the drill ground on time, and when the general with 
his staff arrived he took a position on a rise of ground which 
gave him a good view, and we went through the drill. When 
the regiment was formed back into line, I rode up to the gen- 
eral, who asked some questions and wished me to form it 
again, which we did, and riding up to him again, he compli- 
mented the regiment very highly. I then told him that Col. 
Rogers of the 2ist was the author of the movement; he said 
it was far ahead of the movement laid down in the tactics, and 
bidding us good afternoon left. 

On returning to the regiment I repeated the compliments 
the general had given it, and took occasion to say that the only 
way we could deserve and win such compliments was to 
throw petty jealousies aside and act in unison, that I should 
try to do my duty and hoped every officer and man in the 
regiment would do his. 

It was the first time I had had a good opportunity to make 
a little speech to the regiment, and I improved it, and from 
that time on 1 grew more and more in favor and 1 think 1 
can truly say that no field officer was ever better loved by the 
officers and men of his regiment than I grew to be. 

The regiment went south with the rest of the army on 
transports, and did its full share of duty, on it march to, and 



CHAPTER VII 



;[ 



in the investment and capture of Yorktown, \^a.. but I can 
in this sketch mention only those things in which I was pcr- 
sonaIi\ concerned. 



Chapter VIII. 

( )ne day I was ordered to take four companies and build 
a redoubt near the foot of a rise of ground, over and beyond 
which, but entirely hidden from view, were some works of the 
enemy. The general, probably, intended to place mortars in it. 
The place and size of the redoubt had been staked out and my 
orders were to keep half the men under arms ready for any 
emergency, while the other half were using- the shovels. We 
had not been at work very long, when, as I was riding between 
the hill and redoubt, a bullet hit the shovel of one of the men ; 
where it came from we could not imagine ; we heard no report, 
nor saw any smoke. I dismounted and the captain in charge 
of the working companies, and myself, tried to find from 
whence it came. I concluded that it must be a sharp-shooter in 
some high tree. Selecting three men whom I knew to be good 
marksmen, we crawled on our hands and knees up this rise 
of ground until we reached a place where we could look over, 
then lying flat on the ground I scanned the trees with my field 
glass until I saw a dark spot near the top of one of the tallest, 
and handing the glass to the men, they fixed their eyes upon 
that dark spot, and then passed the glass back to me. When 
all was ready I gave the order to fire, and down tumbled the 
dark spot. When we returned to the redoubt, the captain said 
he had found where the bullet had cut through some dirt before 
it struck the shovel, which gave him the direction from which 
it came, ruid l)elicved it had been fired at me, and must have 



CHAPTER nil 73 

passed very close to me when I was on my horse. We came 
to the conchision that the sharp-shooter must have had a teles- 
cope rifle, which enabled him to see so far, but whether he 
fired at me, or not, will never be known. \\'e do know, how- 
ever, that no more leaden messengers came from that direction 
while we were working on that redoubt. 

\Miile the army was approaching and investing Yorktown, 
I was sent up in a captive balloon several times. I always 
carried my field-glass and pocket compass. On one occasion 
the enem^' drew a field-piece out for some woods and firei^l 
twice. I could distinctly see that they were aiming at the 
balloon. The first time, I saw the fiash of the cannon, but 
heard no report, although I thought I heard the whistle of the 
ball ; but the second time, I saw the fiash of the cannon, but 
heard no sound of any kind. 

Seeing a cannon trained upon one's balloon when a thou- 
sand feet in the air, however, made an impression that is still 
very vivid, although forty-eight years have passed since then, 
and I am now ( 1910) over eighty- four years of age. 

At another time I saw a large cloud of dust rising beyond 
some woods a long distance away, and immediately sent down a 
message telling of the fact, giving my opinion that iX was 
caused by a body of troops moving along a dusty road, and 
giving the direction I thought the}' were going, although I 
could not see any. This proved to be correct and gave our 
general time to head off a movement which the enemy had 
hoped the}' were making unbeknown to him. 

I wrote all the messages on pieces of paper, tied them 



74 CHAPTER J^IH 

around a heavy bullet, called to those below to watch where 
thev fell, and dropped them. There was always an aide on 
horseback to carry them to headquarters. 

On the morning- of May 4, 1862, while lying in front of 
the enemy's works at Yorktown, we received orders to advance 
on "double quick," as the enemy had evacuated. We were 
second over their works, and when the colonel of the regiment 
in advance of us ordered some of his men into the fort and 
broug-ht them to "order arms," the butt of one of the guns 
struck the cap of a buried shell and exploded it, tearing two 
men to pieces, and injuring several others. 

I was told that when Gen. McClellan heard of this he 
ordered an officer to take a squad of Confederate prisoners 
and rake over the entire ground, making them dig up every 
shell that could be found, and that they found quite a numoer, 
not onh' in the fort, Init in the main traveled roads. 

I also heard. he said that he never expected anything like 
that from a ciz'i/irjcd foe. 

We were kept on the march during the rest of the day 
and camped that night in mud about two inches deep. The 
next dav we had not gone far before we began to hear the 
roar of cannon and musketry, which told us that a battle was 
on, and an order passed down the line to "double (puck," which 
meant, hurry u]) as fast as possible, for the mud was so deep 
there was no such thing as marching order. It was not long 
before we began to meet General Hooker's men on the re- 
treat. This was the battle of irH/iainburi^, and they had had 
a hard dav of it, and been driven from the held. 



CHAPTER J^III 75 

I was order to take the right wing of the regiment and 
form in open order in a small ravine on the right, and then ad- 
vance and drive the enemy's skirmishers from the woods, and 
was told that a horse would be of no use to me. I therefore 
dismounted, sent my horse to my orderly and marched up this 
little ravine, formed in open order, and proceeded up on to 
the level ground. The enemy was ready for us and several 
of our men dropped the moment we came in sight, but on we 
went, driving the enemy before us until we reached a road 
some distance in front of an abatis of fallen trees in front of a 
redoubt on their right of Fort Magruder ; here we formed in 
company order. While doing this, Maj. Gen. Kearney, Com- 
mander of our Division, came riding up and said, "Don't 
stop, Colonel, give it to them." We rushed ahead until we 
reached the abatis, which was a perfect slaughter-house. The 
enemv had a rifle pit on their side of it, and as all the limbs 
had been cut from the upper side of the trees, all they had 
to do was to lie low in their pit and pick us off whenever we 
attempted to scale that abatis. It was fighting at a terrible dis- 
advantage on our side, and we were driven back twice. At 
what time the other part of the regiment joined us I do not 
know, for the command of that charge was not taken from 
me. On rallying and making the third charge, we found our- 
selves out of ammunition, and charged the rest of the way with 
fixed bayonets, driving the enemy out of their rifle pit and 
as they retreated around the parapet of their redoubt of which 
T have spoken, one of them turned, and, seeing I was an of- 
ficer, fired at me without bringing his gun to his shoulder, and 



ye CHAPTER VIII 

jumped bcliind the parapet. He was but a short (Ustance from 
me, and it was the only g'un fired on either side after we crossed 
their rifle pit. 

I fell, and on trying to move found I could not, and the 
first I heard w^as, "]\Iy God! the Colonel's down;" and all be- 
oan to gather around me. I said, "Take the men on, captain, 
take the men on, this is no place to stop, I am not much hurt^ 
leave two men wath me, that's all." 

The captain stepped out and ordered the men on, saying, 
"The Colonel says he isn't much hurt, and for us to go on, that 
this is no place to stop." Two men stopped with me, and 
wanted to carry me ofif the field, W'hich I w^ould not permit, 
and after laying me down by the side of one of the fallen trees 
and resting my head upon the stub of a branch, I told them to 
leave me and go on, and if they came out of the fight all right, 
they could come and get me. 

After thev left 1 began to take in the situation, for, strange 
to say, I was not suffering a particle of pain. I was lying on 
my back, my head held up by the limb of the tree, my body al- 
most entirely under the mud. Soon it began to rain, for wdiich 
I was very thankful, as it tended to quench mv thirst. Sec- 
onds lengthened into minutes, and minutes into hours until 
long into the night when I heard some one calling, "Colonel 
Strong! Colonel Strong!" T answered, "Here I am, here I 
am," as I thought, in my usual loud voice ; still the calling con- 
tinued, I answering with all my power. Finally I heard the 
call right on the other side of the tree by which I lay, and T, 
putting all the force I could into my voice, answered, ''Here 



CHAPTER VIII 77 

I am." The soldier threw the Hght of his lantern over the 
log, and seeing me, called out, "Here he is, boys, here he 
is!'-' 

I was soon suronnded by mv men, carefully placed in a 
blanket, carried around the abatis to the road, and put into an 
ambulance. This had not gone far before it hit something 
under the mud and broke down, then the men took me on one 
of the ambulance stretchers and trudged on through the mud 
and rain. I begged them to lay me down under some tree and 
rest themselves, as T knew they had been hard at work, march- 
ing and fighting all day and must be very tired, but the only 
answer I received was, "We'll carry you, Colonel, till we get 
you into a house if it takes all night," and on, on they trudged, 
every house they came to being full of wounded. After they 
had carried me two or three miles we met Surgeon Berry of 
the 38th on horseback, looking for me, who guided them to a 
house, which I was told afterwards was about four miles from 
where I fell. It was between three and four o'clock in the 
morning when we reached there and I was placed upon the 
operating table. 

It was then found that the ball was undoubtedly a min- 
nie, and had passed entirely through my body from front -to 
rear, tearing out the right hip joint. Unfortunately for me 
the surgeon was entirely out of anesthetics and the pain was so 
excruciating that at one time I asked for a bullet, which T 
put in my mouth, and fastening my teeth upon it, said, "Now, 
Doctor, go ahead," and after he had drawn yard after yard 
of bandage through my body, an assistant pouring water into 



78 CHAPTER J^III 

the wound, and cleaned out the mud, pieces of clothini:^' etc., 
and pulled out the broken pieces of bone, which hicluded about 
one and a half inches of the rim of the accetablum, I was laid 
down on the floor. 

I mention this bullet not only because it saved me from 
breaking- my teeth all to pieces, but because when the regi- 
ment was mustered out in New York City more than a year 
afterwards one of the men showed it to me and said it had 
been held by the men of the regiment as a prize. 

Surgeon Berry was a very kind hearted man, and did 
everything- in his power to relieve my sufferings — as he did 
for all — and had me carried to the bank of the James river as 
soon as he ascertained that a steamer had been sent to carry 
the wounded to Fortress Monroe. I do not remember how 
many days this was after the battle, but it must have been 
two or three, I think. We were taken on board early in the 
forenoon, I being placed on mv own blankets on the slats of 
what had been a berth in a stateroom. Surgeon Berry sent 
two men with me, that 1 might be properly handled, so as not 
to tear off the dressings he had placed over and around the 
wounded hip. 

The deck was completely covered with the wounded and 
yet the steamer did not start. Several hours passed ; one of 
my men reported to me that some of the wounded had died since 
being brought on Ijoard, I sent for the captain of the steam- 
er anfl said to him, "If you are loaded, why do you not go?" 
He said, ''T am waiting for orders. I am afraid I will lose 
mv charter if 1 sail without orders." I then asked him, "Who 



CHAPTER J^III 79 

is the ranking officer on board?" "You are," he said. "Bring 
me some paper then and T will give you orders." I then had 
him write an order "To proceed immediately to Fortress \lon- 
roe, and report to the U. S. Quartermaster General, not know- 
ing who that officer might be. I signed it, and we were soon 
ofif. On arriving at Fortress Monroe, the surgeon in charge 
of the wounded there had me taken to the Hygeia Hospital. 

The quartermaster general there happened to be ]\Iajor 
General Rufus Ingalls — the same I had known as Quartermas- 
ter at Fort \'ancouver on the Columbia river — who, on seeing 
my name on that order, came right over to see me, and learn- 
ing the facts became very angry at that captain, and said. "Lose 
his charter, he Zinll lose his charter ; a man who doesn't know 
better how to interpret his orders than that, and will let wound- 
ed soldiers die on his decks afte^" he is fully loaded for fear 
he will lose his charter, rs too big a fool to have one." 

The general came to see me again the next day, and said 
that he would take charge of my property and send whatever 
1 wished of it to Buffalo. This he did, and I had no care or 
trouble about it. I gave him a list, and he had it all looked 
up and taken care of until it arrived at my home in Buffalo, 
N. Y. 




JOHN C. STRONG, ESQ. 
Riiffalo, N. Y. 



Chapter IX. 

As soon as the news of my being wounded reached Buffalo, 
my brother John C. Strong started to come for me, but it 
took him several days to reach Fortress Monroe, the means of 
travel being crowded, and the government requirmg every per- 
son going to the front to have a pass. 1 can never forget how 
happ}- I felt when 1 saw him enter that ward and come to my 
cot. At first he could not speak, but took my hand, and 1 saw 
the tears roll down his cheeks as he turned his head to speak 
to the surgeon; soon, however, he began talking to me, saying 
that he had come to take me home when 1 was able to go. 
He told me afterwards that when he told the surgeons he 
wanted to take me home, they said, "It will make no differ- 
ence whether you take him or not, for he is a dead man, any- 
way." My brother wasn't a man to give up so easily, and ob- 
tained the proper papers from General Wool for taking me, 
and, when the steamer was to start for Baltimore, had me 
properly lashed to an army stretcher, and had four negroes 
carry me to the steamer. They laid me on a berth in one of 
the staterooms, still strapped to the stretcher, and every revolu- 
tion of the wheels jerked the boat to such an extent as to 
cause me much pain. 1 remember saying, **0 John, if the boat 
hurts me like this, the cars will kill me, ' for 1 supposed the 
boat would be much easier than the cars. He would s'iyq me 
all the morphine the surgeons had directed him to give, but he 



g4 CHAPTER IX 

saw it did not make me insensible to the pain, and began to 
fear he would not get me home alive. We reached Baltimore 
in due time, however, and as there were no sleeping cars in 
those days he had them take the back off of one seat and lay 
my stretcher across three seats, and then watched me very 
closely to see what effect the movement of the cars would 
have upon me. After 1 had been lying there some time, 1 
remember saying to him in a very complaining tone, "John, 
why don't these cars start?" His face lightened up with a 
smile as he said, "Why, Jim, they have been running almost 
half an hour." 1 was greatly astonished, for 1 had not felt 
any pain from the motion and supposed the noise 1 had heard 
was the usual noise made in the depot so had no idea that the 
train had started. 1 was greatly under the influence of mor- 
phine or I would have known better. The fact was the motion 
of the car was as nothing compared to the jerky motion ot 
the boat. 

When we reached Philadelphia, I was so exhausted thai 
my brother thought it best to take me to a hospital to rest. 
Here 1 came near meeting with a mishap. My stretcher was 
too wide to pass through the door of the cars and had to be 
tipped up edgeways, ])ut 1 was lashed so tightly that it could 
Ijc done easily enough if proper care was taken, but the men 
whu did it here were careless in some way and came very 
near dropping me. 

At this hospital 1 was taken oft' the stretcher and remained 
two or three days; then 1 was again lathed lo the stretcher, 
[)ut on the cars and taken to the Astor House, Xew York. 



CHAPTER IX 85 

Mr. Stetson, — whose first name I think was Charles, — kept 
this house at that time. He had a large room on the office floor 
made into a bed-room for m\- use. 1 was taken off the stretch- 
er, and we remained here two or three days that 1 might rest, 
and never could a father or mother have done more for Ihe 
comfort of a son than Mr. and Mrs. Stetson did for me, filling 
my room with flowers and getting every little delicacy for me 
to eat that the physician, who had been called in, would permit, 
and when 1 was rested enough to go on, and my brother asked 
for the bill, Mr. Stetson would not take a penny, but assistea 
my brother in every way to get me to the cars for Buffalo. 

1 was firml}- lashed to the stretcher again and placed in 
the same way in a car and taken to Buffalo. Here, still 
strapped to my stretcher, I was taken to ni}- home on a spring 
wagon my friend Isaac D. White had sent to the depot for 
me, and in which he had placed two or three spring mattresses 
for my comfort. When 1 arrived home and was being carried 
through the gate, 1 saw my wife standing there, and, as 1 
saw the tears streaming down her cheeks, I said, ''Don't cry, 
Em, 1 am better than ten dead men." 

Here brother John's special care of me ceased, but there 
can be no queston that had it not been for his energy and per- 
severance 1 should never have seen home and friends again. 

My young and loving wife had provided everything for 
my comfort, and with the aid of one of the best and most con- 
scientious nurses, watched over me night and day for many 
months. She was my guardian angel, my loved one, and to 
her loving care do 1 also owe my life. God bless her. 



86 CHAPTER IX 

Brother John and my wife each wrote a letter to Colonel 
Ward, who replied as follows : 

"Camp near Richmond, Jnne 12, 1862. 

John C. Strong, Sir: I received yon welcome letter of 

and I assnre von it afforded my officers and myself mnch pleas- 
nre to learn that the Colonel has arrived home safely. I was 
somewhat fearfnl that the immense amount of fatigue incident 
to a man in his condition would not produce the best results. 
He will now, I am satisfied, rapidly recover, for to be with 
family and friends adds one-half to convalescence ; with a de- 
voted wife at the bedside of an invalid, and -that invalid a de,- 
voted husband, no doubt can be entertained of the results. I 
am in command of the brigade, and if the generals over me 
have any influence at the War Department 1 shall be promoted 
to the permanent command, and if so, there will be a vacancy 
in the colonelcy, and rest assured, my dear sir, that no one 
will dare to take command of the 38th but James. It would be 
a dangerous experiment, at least, so tell him to get well a*'" 
soon as he can, and take command of those who so well know 
how to appreciate him. 1 will, as soon as I have an oppor- 
tunity (which 1 have not now), send him copies of all the re- 
ports. 1 received Mrs. Strong's letter, which 1 read to my 
officers, and need not say the tone and language used was wor- 
th \- the wife of your noble brother. May God bless and preserve 
him. I presume you have heard of the battle of Fair Oaks. 
I can only say that the brigade drove, at the point of the 
bayonet, over five times their number. 1 am, sir, your obedi- 
ent servant, J. H. Hohart \\^\rd." 



CHAPTER IX 87 

Gen. Birney, commander of our brigade, in his official 
report of the battle of Williamsburg, says : 

"Lieutenant Colonel Strong, Thirty-eighth, New York 
Regiment, deserves special mention for his gallant conduct. 
His wound, although disabling him, T am happy to report, is 
not mortal, and he will soon be returned to his regiment. 
I am truly yours, 

D. B. Birney, 
Brigadier General. 

Lieutenant W. G. Sturges, A. A. General Kearney's Divi- 
sion." 

I had not been home long before a committee of citizens 
— not knowing how seriously I was wounded — came, saying 
they had been sent to ask me if I would accept the colonelcy 
of a regiment of infantry then being raised in Buffalo. I 
thanked them for the compliment, but declined, feeling sure 
that should I become able to take command of a regiment 
I should return to the 38th. 

For months my sufferings were intense, at times almost 
unbearable, but let even the memory of them pass into oblivion. 

Gov. Morgan sent me my commission as colonel of the 
gallant old 38th in November. I had my brother write him 
that I was still unable to go to the front, and could not say 
as I ever would be. His reply was, in substance, we will wait 
and see, and did not recall the commission. ]\Iy injured leg- 
was so flexed that I knew I could never ride a horse again 
unless it could be straightened. Hearing of a specialist in 
Boston, he was written to and given a description of my case. 



88 CHAPTER IX 

and replied that he could undoubtedly straighten me out all 
right by a process of his own. Although fearing 1 might be 
deceived, I was so anxious to get well that 1 concluded to 
try him, even against Dr. Miner's advice, and my wife acconv 
jxinied me there. 1 soon found that his process would not do 
me an\- good, left him, and entered the Officers' Hospital, in 
Cammack's woods, Philadelphia. Here 1 remained under 
treatment nearly a month, and then returned to Buffalo. When 
I reached home. Governor Morgan was informed of my return 
and condition and in due time 1 was mustered into service as 
colonel of the 38th by Captain Sheldon Sturgeon, mustering 
officer of the L\ S. Army, at Buffalo, N. Y., by order of 
Governor Morgan. 

Aly leg was not yet straight and I insisted that it should be 
if within the possibilities, and begged Dr. Miner, who had been 
my physican and surgeon while in Buft"alu, to straighten it. 
He said he would see about it wh.cn J had strength enough. 
This encouraged me, for 1 had great confidence in Dr. Juliub 
F. Miner, and 1 at once began exerting all my will power 
upon t'jie thou.ght of getting strength enough to endure the 
operation, and almost daily would ask the doctor if he didn't 
think 1 could stand it now. 

One day he brought with him Dr. Austin Flint, another 
of Buffalo's celebrated surgeons, for consultation. They con- 
cluded to operate, and fixed the time for the afternoon of the 
next day, when they came, and placing me under the infiuence 
of an anesthetic, performed the operation. 

The next morning I remember asking Dr. Aliner if 1 



CHAPTER IX 89 

had a straight leg, and his saying, "Oh, pretty straight." I 
said, "What do you put the pretty in for?" That word "j)ret- 
ty" indicated to me that my chances for a straight leg had 
vanished, for 1 felt sure that Dr. Aliner would never have used 
that qualification had the operation been a success. He told 
me afterwards that my excessive will power had deceived them 
as to my strength. 

After this 1 began to suffer terribly again from abscesses 
in the hip, and, feeling confident that 1 would never be able 
to ride a horse again in command of a regiment, tendered my 
resignation, but Secretary Stanton refused to accept it, and 
told a friend of mine that when 1 was able to do duty of any 
kind he had duty for me. 

Thus things went on until the forepart of June, when I 
received a letter from the officers of the 38th, asking me to 
meet them in New York, if possible, where the regiment was to 
be mustered out, and lead them as their colonel, even if 1 had 
to ride in a carriage. This I did, and was mustered out with 
the regiment, as its colonel, June 22, 1863, and no colonel ever 
received a warmer welcome than 1 did from both officers anil 
men. 

The regiment had passed through several battles since 1 
had been with it, and, it goes without saymg, had done its 
duty well, and its ranks had become so thin that it was but a 
mere shadow of its former self. 1 have no way of telling how 
many were left, but remember that in the battle of Williams- 
burg alone the regiment lost one hundred and thirty-eight 
men and officers, in killed and wounded. 



90 



CHAPTER IX 



Althou.s^h it had been only a little over a year since we 
had seen each other, T could see a great change In the ap- 
pearance of the officers and men ; their faces indicated that 
they had passed through great hardships. Some of the men 
who carried me off the field were there and I learned that 
some of the others had joined the ranks of those who had 
gone to their last reward. 

As I listened to the stories told by several of the officers 
and men of what they had jiassed througli since I was with 
them, I could but think that perhaps many of those who were 
not now with us endured sufferings to which mine would be as 
nothing in comparison. 

Xoble dead, Rcquicscant in pace ; and may the God of 
peace hasten the time when wars shall be no more. 



Chapte:r X. 

On the 29th of September, 1863. President Lincoln ap- 
pointed me a colonel in the Invalid Corps, and I was ordered 
to Columbus, Ohio, and to Louisville, Ky., to superintend the 
.^•athering together of troops which formed a regiment after- 
wards known as the 15th Rei;t. Invalid Corps. I was then 
ordered to Chicago, 111., to relieve Brig. Gen. Amnion, who 
was in command of the Post, and Col. C. A\ DeLand of the ist 
Michigan sharp-shooters, who, with his regiment, was stationed 
at Camp Douglas, guarding the prisioners of war then collect- 
ed there. Col. DeLand and his regiment went immediately to 
the front. 

On the reorganization of the corps. President Lincoln 
commissioned me Colonel 15th Regt. Veteran Reserve Corps, 
with rank from the 29th of September, 1863. This commission 
I prize very highly, as it bears the autograph of our lamented 
President. 

I remained at Chicago in command of the Post, and of 
Camp Douglas, until the number of prisoners became so g'reat 
that my regiment, consisting of but four hundred officers and 
men — every one of whom was wounded — was not sufficient to 
guard them, and the 8th Regt. V. R. C. Col, and Bvt. Brig. 
Gen. Sweet, commanding, and the 24th Ohio Battery, Lieut. 
James W. Gamble, commanding, were sent to assist in guard- 
ing them, and as Gen. Sweet ranked me, he, of course, took 



92 CHAPTER X 

command of the Post. T was then ordered to Philadelphia, Pa.. 
to begin closing- ii]) the camps throughout the country. This 
left Lieut. Col. Martin Flood — a most worthy officer — in com- 
mand of the 15th V. R. C. 

On reporting to Gen. ]\[eade in Philadelphia. I v. as fur- 
nished the blanks prepared by the government for the closing 
up of the camps and began the work at "Camp William Penn," 
and "Camp Cadwallader." My commission as Brigadier Gen- 
eral, by Brevet, was given by the President April 9, 1808, with 
rank from March 13th and I receved it while here hi Philadel- 
phia. 

It was while engaged m this work that, on account of 
my alleged resemblance to Gen, Grant — of which I had never 
before heard — I had a little experience of the annoyance and 
i.liscomfort persons high in honor and popularity suffer. 

While the catafakpie bearing the remains of our beloved 
Lincoln was passing through IMiiladelphia, all the officers of 
the arm\ ])resent followed it. marching directly in the rear of 
it on foot, but as 1 could not marrii I was given permission 
to ride iii a carriage next to these officers. The crowd of 
people was so great that the procession would be brought to 
a halt (|uite frec|uentl\', until the police could clear the way 
sufficiently for it to proceed. 1 had invited three wounded 
officers, who were unable to niarch, to ride with me. At one 
of the halts, one of these officers said he heard ihe crowd 
saying, ''(jrant is coming. Grant is coming in a carriage," and 
asked me if I thought it could be true. T said, "No, if Gen. 
Grant were here he w<nild be marching with the other gen- 



CHAPTER X 93 

erals on foot, or if anything" had happened to temporarily 
compel him to take a carriage it would certainly be in advance 
of us." We had started on during this conversation and soon 
noticed that we were being looked at much more than before, 
and that some would raise their hats as we passed, and one 
of these officers said, laughingl}', "I believe, colonel, they 
think vou are Gen. Grant." I ridiculed the idea, but when we 
came to the next halt, men began to crowd around and ui)on 
the carriage, wanting me to shake hands with them. ]^ly 
denying that I was Gen. Grant, and telling them I was onh' 
a wounded colonel, together with the three officers verifying 
my statements, and mv throwing back my cape, thus showing 
a colonel's uniform, seemed to have but little weight. I then 
had the driver close the top of the carriage so that when we 
started on no one could see me, neither could we see out except 
through the glass in each door. I supposed this would end 
it, but no ; when the procession came to the next halt, a man 
opened one of the doors, and looking me earnestly in the 
face, said, "Pretty good dodge, General, pretty good dodge 
to put on a colonel's uniform," and tlien turning around to the 
crowd, called out, "It is him, boys, it is him; I know him, a 
colonel's coat can/t fool me." The crowd then began to surge 
upon the carriage to such an extent that I told the driver to 
call the police, which he did. I explained the situation to 
them, and asked them to get me out of the procession as soon 
as possible, which they promised to do, and as we started 
on gave some directions to the driver. It was not long before 
we knew b\ the motion of the carriage that the driver was 



94 CHAPTER X 

urging- his horses into a trot, and through the glass in the 
doors could see we were passing into a street not lined with a 
crowd of people, and going at quite a rapid pace. We soon 
found, however, that quite a crowd was following us and 
running along on each side of the carriage, and heard them say, 
"He's going to the Continental." On hearing that, one of the 
officers partly opened one of the doors and called out, "Go to 
the Continental," and had the satisfaction of seeing a large 
portion of the crowd turn on to a street leading toward that 
hotel. On going a block or two farther, we found the street 
blocked by street-cars which had been stopped by tlie pro- 
cession crossing their track. The carriage was sur- 
rounded by about fifty men who insisted that I was Gen. 
Grant and nothing we could say would convince them to the 
contrary. The one who seemed to be the leader finally said, 
"Well, General, if you will shake hands with us we will be 
satisfied." It proved to be quite a painful operation, my hand 
and shoulder pained me for several days afterwards. I could 
but think that, if shaking hands with so few causes so much 
pain, what must be the effect upon our great men who are 
sometimes compelled to shake hands with hundreds. 

I was driven to the place where I was stopping — it is 
unnecessary to say it was not the Continental Hotel — and 
two cf the officers went lo that hotel to see what was going 
on. When they returned, they reported that there wa« a great 
crowd arcnmd it calling for Gen. Grant, and that when the pro- 
j)rietor came out on to the balcony and told them that Gen. 
Grant was not there, and had not been there, thev would call 



CHAPTER X 95 

him a liar, and keep on calling-, "Grant! Grant!" When 

I afterwards saw Gen. Grant, he said he had heard of my 
having- been mistaken for him on that occasion, and laughed 
merrily over it. 

I was kept closing up camps throughout the country, and 
not mustered out of service until June 30, 1866, when, on re- 
turning to Buffalo, N. Y., I resumed the duties of civil life 
under many great disadvantages on account of my having 
been so seriously w^ounded. 

When the government organized a corps of four regi- 
ments consisting entirely of wounded officers and men for the 
regular army, I was offered a commission and desired to ac- 
cept it, but my wife and brother John thought I had better 
not, and T followed their advice. It proved to be a great mis- 
take, however, financially, at least, for within two years Con- 
gress passed an act mustering them all out of the service and 
placing all the officers on the retired list of the regular army 
at the highest rank they had ever held in the volunteer ser- 
vice. 

In the fall of 1892, I went abroad and lectured through 
England on the North American Indian, spent some time in 
Paris, but did not speak the French language well enough to 
lecture in it, for which I was verv sorry, for I think the sub- 
ject would have been verv interesting to the P'rench people. 
When in London, I had boarded and made my headquar- 
ters at a family hotel in Kensington Gardens, and on returning 
from Paris went to this same hotel, and remained until the 
date of the sailing of the steamer City of Nezv York, from 



96 CHAPTER X 

Liverpool. T had been told she was one of the largest and 
finest afloat, and never having- sailed on one of that size, sent 
mv baggage on by express, because railroads did not check 
baggage in England in those days, and when I arrived, had 
it taken on board, engaged my stateroom, and then enjoyed 
myself seeing them load such an immense steamer. When 
it came meal time I was assigned a seat at the captain's 
table, which was in an alcove off from the main dining hall, 
and would accommodate onlv six persons. On the opposite end 
from the captain sat a very gentlemanly looking man some- 
what past middle life, who seemed to be much interested in 
a story I told at the table and asked me son.ie questions, which 
resulted in our getting into a very pleasant conversation. At 
Queenstown we happened to meet just as I was coming up 
ion deck from my stateroom, when he asked me where my 
stateroom was. On my telling him, he said, "Is that a matter 
of choice?" I smilingly answered, "You know, sir, that we are 
not always permitted to take our choice of the good things 
of this world." He snn'led and calling one of the waiter boys 
told him to ''Tell Mr. Kinzey to come here." Mr. Kinzey 
was the purser of the boat, and when he came, he dotied his 
hat most poHtelv and stood at attention like a soldier ready 
to receive orders. I had begun to wonder who this gentleman 
could be, for I had not been introduced to him or even heard 
his name. "Mr. Kinzey. is No. 57 engaged?'' "No, sir." 
"Please have it ])ut in order;" and looking at me said, "Let 
us walk in here for a moment," and leading the way took me 
into the smoking room and (-)fifered me a cisfar. As I did not 



CHAPTER X 97 

smoke, I thanked him and wondered what would happen next. 
Presently he tapped a call-bell, and, when the boy came, he 
said, "Tell Captain Jamison to come here." I was puzzled 
enough before, but this deepened the enigma. Who could 
this person be who had power to order not only the purser, 
but the captain of this great and beautiful steamer, to come 
to him at will? When the captain came, my friend said, ''Cap- 
tain Jamison, I am sorry I am not going over with you this 
trip, but Gen. Strong is and I wish you to give him the freedom 
of the boat.'' The captain said he would be happy to do so, 
and politely excusing himself left. He then sent for the chief 
engineer and when introducing him said, "There is some very 
fine machinery in this boat which I think you would enjoy 
seeing, and I am sure Mr. (whose name I have for- 
gotten) would be pleased to show it to you.'' While we were 
talking with the engmeer, the pvirser appeared and said, "No. 
57 is in order, sir.'' My friend then turned to me. saying, 
'Let us see how it looks." We followed the purser, who, on 
arriving at No. 57 opened the door and then stepped aside. 
IMy still unknown friend passed into the room, and turning to 
me said. Permit me to present you this stateroom for the trip," 
and as he extended his hand said, "The tender has been wait- 
ing for me, and I must bid you good-bye." As I grasped his 
hand I said, "I beg pardon, sir, but kindh- tell me to whom I 
am indebted for this kindness." He then handed me his card, 
which simply had on it "James Spence," and wished me hon 
voyage. I thanked him most cordially and followed him to 
the rail where he passed down on to the tender, and as it 



98 CHAPTER X 

steamed away we each waved our farewells until the waving 
handkerchiefs could be seen no longer. 

Returning to my new stateroom, I found it to be a large 
double room, finely furnished and beautifully upholstered with 
every convenience attached, and was told by the purser that 
Mr. Spence was the managing owmer of that line of steamers, 
residing in England, and that the stateroom I now oc- 
cupied was the "Bridal Chamber/'. The purser sent the state- 
room steward to me, and it was not long before he arranged 
the rooms as I wished, and I was enjoying mv new quarters 
to my heart's content. 

The next morning, not feeling well, I did not appear at 
the breakfast table and the purser came to see me and offered 
to send me a bottle of champagne, saying, "You know you 
have the freedom of the boat, and whatever you wish you can 
have without cost.'' I thanked him, but declined the cham- 
pagne. By dinner time T felt well enough to take my seat at 
the table, and was all right during the remainder of the trip. 
After arriving home I received a letter from Mr. Spence in 
which he gave me his ])rivate address, and invited me to be his. 
guest whenever I came to England. I replied, and sincerely 
regret to say that some time afterwards T received a letter 
from his son informing me of his father's death. 

I mention this change of staterooms in this sketch as it 
made a very pleasant incident in my life, and one that came 
to me in such a ])leasing manner from a perfect stranger. 

During the next few years nothing of special interest oc- 
curred and as I grew older the cold winters did not agree 



CHAPTER X 99 

with me. I was taken with a bronchial cough and my physi- 
cian advised a warmer cHmate. We therefore decided to 
move, and in January, 1896, I came with my family to Los 
Gatos, Santa Clara Countv, California, where I still reside. 



Chapte:r XI. 

Our home in California has been ui)on a ranch of sixty- 
three acres, most beautifully located on the foothills of the 
Santa Cruz Mountains, overlookino^ the Santa Clara \^alley, 
our house standing- about one and a half miles from the Post 
Office in Los Gatos, ten miles from San Jose, and about fifty - 
five from San Francisco. When we came here there was no 
connection with the outside world, other than wagon roads, 
except a narrow gauge railroad with a third rail, between San 
Jose and Los Gatos ; now there is a trolley line passing within 
a half mile of our house, which runs from San Jose to Los 
Gatos and back by a circuitous route through all the towns, 
then on to Palo Alto and beyond- The narrow guage has 
Icng-thened and expanded into a system, which, since it has re- 
covered from the damages it received in April, 1906, has some- 
times run twent}-eight passenger trains a day through Los 
Gatos, and half that number or more in dull times. \\'e have 
a telephone in the house, and could have electric lights, etc., 
if we wished. I mention these facts to show how rapidly the 
West improves. 

At the time the Lewis and Clark Exposition was held at 
I^ortland, ( )regon, I received a cordial invitation from my 
relatives residing there to visit them, and with my son, Stuart, 
went first to the house of my ue])hew, Thomas Xelson Strong, 
and while there he gave us a delightful tri]) (Ui the Williamette 
and Columbia rivers. It was at his house also 1 met William 



CHAPTER XI 101 

James Strong, brother William's youngest son, who was 
named after his father and myself, and was a babe only five 
weeks old when I last saw him, and now a man with a family 
of grown children. 1 could hardly realize that he could be the 
same person. 

In a short time we were invited to make our home at 
the house of one of my widowed nieces, and while at her 
house I was invited by my niece, Mrs. Willson (a daughter 
of brother John, whose home was in Philadelphia), to accom- 
pany herself and two children on a pleasure trip to Alaska. 
We went by rail from Portland to Seattle, where we took the 
mail steamer, which visited every port on the route. 1 had 
Jiever been to Victoria, Juneau, Sitka or Skagway, so it was 
an entirely new country to me. 1 amused myself at several of 
the landings talkiiig with the Indians, who were trying to sell 
their "Tenas icta" (little things), and 1 was surprised to see 
how much of the "Chinook Jargon" I had remembered. 

The climate of Skagway was very different from what 1 
expected. I was shown some very large sized potatoes that ha.l 
been grown in the hotel garden, and it was now only August, 
and 1 never saw flowers more abundant or more beautiful 
than those in Skagway and when the steamer left there the 
tables were loaded down with flowers that had been given to 
the ladies. 

Sitka, at which we stopped on our return from Skagway 
was a place of much interest to me, for in preparing the lec- 
tures 1 gave in England on the North American Indians, 1 
had made quite a study of the manner in which the Russians 



I02 CHAPTER XI 

had treated them in the long ago, and had a stereopticon slid»* 
representing the Greek Church, and one representing the four 
totem posts located on the bank of the Indian river, a short 
distance from Sitka, which I rode out to see. I could but 
contrast the great change that had taken place since the United 
States purchased the country. Now, there was a fine school 
not only for the whites but to which Indians were admitted, 
and everything bore the imprint of civilization, culture and 
kindness. We were twelve days on this trip, and it was cer- 
tainly the most picturesque I had ever taken, and in connec- 
tion with what I saw about Portland, Oregon City, the Cas- 
cades and Cathlamet — for all my relatives seemed to vie with 
each other in giving me a good time — gave me an excellent 
opportunity to see how Oregon and Washington had changed 
during the forty-nine }ears since I had been there, and when 
I made a mental picture of the country as it was when I first 
saw it, 1 was lost in amazement. 

A few years prior to my coming to live in California 
brother William and his wife had died, so I did not have the 
pleasure of seeing either of them. Every one of his children 
who were still living, and the widow of his son Curtis — the baby 
bo\- who came aroiuid Cape Horn with us — and also the v/idow 
of his son Frederick R. — the first child born at Cathlamet — 
lived in Portland, and never could an uncle receive more heart- 
felt love and kindness than they all gave mc. 

My son and myself came back to San Francisco by boat, 
and in Fel)ruary. Kjof), I was taken very ill, being confined to 
my bed for many weeks, and ])y the eighteenth of April — 



CHAPTER XI 103 

the date of the oreat earthquake — I was still quite feeble and 
exceedingly nervous ; fortunately our house was not much in- 
jured, while in San Francisco and San Jose great damage 
was done, and every railroad tunnel on the line running through 
the Santa Cruz jNlountains was destroyed to such an extent 
that it required over two years to rebuild them, as the com- 
pany took this opportunity to change the track from narrow 
to standard gauge, and to. double-track the whole road. 

The shock, however, alTected my nerves and general health 
very much, and in June my physician told me 1 must take a 
trip somewhere, that a change was absolutely necessary, and 
through the kindness of my niece, Mrs. Mary T. Strong, 
widow of brother William's son, Frederick R., I was enabled to 
take an extended trip East, accompanied by my son, Stuart. 
The trip was very enjoyable and beneficial. We left Los Gatos 
the forepart of July, and arrived at my son Edward's house in 
Buffalo, N. Y., on the tenth. 

I was very much surprised at the changes that had taken 
place in Buffalo, during the ten years since I had seen it, not 
only in the parks and streets, but in the location of the large 
business houses. Those on Main Street had all been mov.ed 
up town, and everything was so changed as to make it look 
quite like another city. 

My son Edward and his wife had visited us several times 
since we moved to Los Gatos, and had told us about many of 
these changes, but I had not realized them, and therefore had 
retained in memory a picture of Buft'alo as it was ten years 
before. Many friends called to see me, and Mrs. Letchwortn 



104 CHAPTER XI 

(the other daiigchter of brother John), and her husbr.nd, who 
were still occupying their city house on account of illness in 
their family, did everything they could to give n^e pleasure, 
placing sometimes an auto, and sometimes a carriage, at my 
dis])osal. Part of my time was occupied calling upon friends, 
and part in seeing the changes that had taken place. One 
place of great interest to me was the cemetery. 

Alany years prior to moving to California I had gone to 
Rushville, and removed the remains of father and mother to 
lUiffalo, and they were placed under a double stone in brother 
John's lot in Forest Lawn Cemetery. 

After remaining in Buffalo about a month and my health 
not improving as much as I had hoped, I called in a physician 
who advised me to try some other climate. I was greatly dis- 
couraged, as 1 had hoped to get better results from mv trip, 
but consider myself one of the most fortunate of mortals in 
having so many kind friends. 

My youngest brother's widow, Mrs. Julia A strong, was 
living with her widowed daughter, Mrs. Helen S. Parker, at 
Galesville, Wisconsin, both of whom asked me to visit them; 
so when my sons had made every arrangement possible for 
my comfort on the trip, we left Buffalo. 

My niece met us at a station before reaching Galesville, 
and escorted us to her home. My sister-in-law was the only 
one living who had known my mother intimately, and she 
loved her dearly, so it can well be imagined we greaty enjoyed 
talking over the long ago ; and my niece and her chi,aren did 



CHAPTER XI 105 

everything that could be done to add to my comfort and pleas- 
ure. 

We remained here about a month, and then left for home, 
arriving in due time without a mishap, thanks to a kind Provi- 
dence, and to the watchful care and attention of my son Stuart, 
and I can never repay the debt of gratitude I owe to those 
who so kindly contributed to my comfort and pleasure. 

My health has improved very much since my return, and 
I am now fairly well for a man of my age and condition. As i 
grow older my wounded hip grows weaker, and 1 become 
more nervous, but that is to be expected. 

Last year (1909) I had occasion to make an inquiry in the 
"National Tribune," a paper published in Washington, D. C, 
and in a short time I was greatly pleased to receive a letter 
from each of three sergeants of the old 38th, all of whom as- 
sisted in carrying me ofif the field the night 1 fell ; one of them 
was over ninety years old when he wrote. They learned that 
I was still in the land of the living from seeing my address 
attached to that inquiry, and their letters were most cordial 
and friendly. 

Had the war been with a foreign foe, the victors woukl 
not have been called upon to forgive and forget, but it was 
not ; it was a family quarrel ; a fight between brothers to di- 
vide, or virtually to obtain control of the home, and now as it 
is ended, it is the duty of both parties to forget and forgive. 
As for myself, although my hopes and ambitions in life were 
ruined by the shot of that Confederate soldier, I could take him 
bv the hand as a brother. 



io6 CHAPTER XI 

I have sometimes tried to imagine, however, what this 
country would have been had our Confederate brothers won 
the victory, and have asked myself, would it be as it now is, one 
of the great and glorious countries of the world ? 

At the time of the battle of Williamsburg, Va., the 38th 
N. Y. belonged to Gen. Kearney's Division, and each and 
every one of us believed the truth of the motto in the badge 
of that Division : 

"Diilcc ct decorum est pro patria ynori." 



APR 10 1911 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



APR 10 t9M 



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